Biology 2483A Quiz: Coping with Environmental Variation.docx
2 Jan 2015
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Document Summary
Autotrophs: assimilate radiant energy from sunlight (photosynthesis), or from inorganic compounds (chemosynthesis): the energy is converted into chemical energy stored in the bonds of organic molecules. Some plants are holoparasites: they have no photosynthetic from other plants (heterotrophs). Dodder is a holoparasite that is an agricultural pest and can significantly reduce biomass in the host plant. Taps into other plants taking nutrients and water. Mistletoe is a hemiparasite it is photosynthetic, but obtains nutrients, water, and some of its energy from the host plant. Sea slugs have functional chloroplasts that are taken up from the algae that the slug eats. Steal chloroplasts from algae but don"t digest them. Photosynthesis - (most autotrophes): sunlight provides the energy to take up co2 and synthesize organic compounds. Most of the biologically available energy on earth is derived from photosynthesis. Photosynthetic organisms include some archaea, bacteria, and protists, and most algae and plants. Chemosynthesis (chemolithotrophy): energy from inorganic compounds is used to produce carbohydrates.
