blog post #6

    From day one, our plants have been growing exceedingly through different processes. The main process is cell division. Cell division, or mitosis, is how the cells reproduce and how the plant grows bigger.
Mitosis is when one cell splits into two cells through five phases. The first phase of mitosis is Interphase, the cell growth, development, and protein production. interphase is both the starting point and ending point of this process. The second phase is prophase where DNA coils into chromosomes, the chromosomes condense as two identical chromatids, and the nuclear membrane starts to disintegrate. the DNA in the chromosomes hold all the genetic information and are visible through a light microscope. next is metaphase where the chromosomes attach to the spindle fibers and line up at the equator. then, anaphase where the spindle retracts and pulls the chromatids apart, moving toward the centrioles. lastly, during telophase, the membrane pinches in the middle and starts to split. the chromosomes are uncoiled back into chromatin and the cell is back in interphase. Each cell is diving into two and grows exponentially. with this exponential growth of cells, the plant is able to grow larger and larger over time. the cells are able to divide with the energy from ATP, a result from photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
In photosynthesis, a plant uses chloroplast and chlorophyll to convert solar energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen. first, sunlight hits the chloroplast and the plant uses this energy to help an enzyme break apart water molecules. the water molecule breaks into hydrogen and oxygen. the oxygen is then sent out as waste and emzymes are freed to travel from one protein to another on a transport chain with the help of transport molecules. the hydrogen from the broken water molecule and electrons, when powered by light, are converted into NADP and NADPH which are then used in light-independant reactions.  Photosynthesis helps plants gain biomass because photosynthesis is the way plants make food for themselves and this is how they grow constantly. Cellular respiration is the process through which cells convert sugars into energy. Cellular respiration helps plants gain biomass because energy is converted during this process. This helps plants gain biomass because sugars are being broken down and energy is being made and the more energy the more the plant will grow.
   Plants in the garden produce many different things. But what would happen if the plant sent signals to the nucleus to produce enzymes? If plants were able to send signals to the nucleus to produce more PKG and ribulose 1 or 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase things would be different. Depending on what signals the plant sends to the nucleus there would be different results. The 5-biophosphate would help oxygen and carbon dioxide to be let out sooner and faster.

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