Activity 4.4 Plant Biosynthesis Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University

Where are atoms moving from? Where are atoms moving to? The Movement Question

Which atoms and molecules move so that plants can grow through biosynthesis? waterminerals glucose

How do glucose water, and minerals move for a plant stem cell to grow? waterminerals glucose

What happens inside the stem cell as it grows? Chemical change

Biosynthesis How does a plant make the molecules that it is made of?

Organic molecules LARGE = Polymer 7 SMALL = Monomers STARCH GLUCOSE (SUGAR)

Plants make their own organic molecules The result of photosynthesis is glucose, then plants use the glucose to make other small organic molecules (MONOMERS) GLUCOSE (SUGAR) AMINO ACID Plus ammonia FATTY ACID GLYCEROL

Comparing organic molecules Potatoes are made of starch, protein, fiber and fat POLYMERS FATS (LIPID) PROTEIN STARCH FIBER (CELLULOSE)

Monomers (small organic molecules) Red = amino acid Yellow= glucose Green wide = fatty acid Green narrow = glycerol 10

Starting points: Put glucose, fatty acids and glycerol in the potato plant’s leaves. Put amino acids in the potato plant’s roots. Glucose, fatty acids, glycerol Amino acids

Move the glucose, fatty acids, glycerol and amino acids to the potato through the phloem. Glucose, fatty acids, glycerol and amino acids

What happens inside the growing potato? Now that these materials have reached the potato, how does the plant use them to make a potato?

Build a Potato (Biosynthesis) Build STARCH molecules by linking 5 glucose monomers. 14 Chemical change

Build a Potato (Biosynthesis) Build FIBER molecules by linking 5 glucose monomers. 15 Chemical change

Build a Potato (Biosynthesis) Build PROTEIN molecules by linking 5 amino acid monomers. 16 Chemical change

Build a Potato (Biosynthesis) Build FAT molecules by linking 3 fatty acid monomers to 1 glycerol molecule. 17 Chemical change

Polymers (large organic molecules) FATS (LIPIDS) =link 3 fatty acid monomers to 1 glycerol PROTEIN = 5 amino acid monomers CELLULOSE (FIBER) = 6 glucose monomers 18 STARCH = 6 glucose monomers

Chemical change Products Protein polymer (+ water) Reactants 19 What happens to carbon atoms and chemical energy in biosynthesis? Amino acid monomers

Chemical change Products Protein polymer (+ water) Reactants 20 What happens to carbon atoms and chemical energy in biosynthesis? Amino acid monomers Carbon atoms stay in organic molecules with high-energy bonds

Chemical change Products Fat (+ water) Reactants 21 What happens to carbon atoms and chemical energy in biosynthesis? Fatty acids + glycerol

Chemical change Products Fat (+ water) Reactants 22 What happens to carbon atoms and chemical energy in biosynthesis? Fatty acids + glycerol Carbon atoms stay in organic molecules with high-energy bonds

Identify chemical energy at an atomic molecular scale: Which molecules have chemical energy? Molecules made in photosynthesis: Molecules made in potato cells: Starch in a potato: Molecules made in plant roots: Example: GLUCOSE Example: AMINO ACID Example: PROTEIN Example: CARBOHYDRATES 23

Identify where chemical energy is located (macroscopic scale): 24

Use this poster to tell two stories. Story 1: How did a carbon atom in the air get into the potato? Story 2: how did light energy from the sun end up as chemical energy in the potato?