(a) List the three events that occur during the process of photosynthesis. Explain the role of stomata in this process.
(b) Describe an experiment to show that “sunlight is essential for photosynthesis.”
(a) The three events that occur during the process of photosynthesis are:
(i) Absorption of light energy by the green pigment chlorophyll.
(ii) Conversion of light energy into chemical energy and the splitting of water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen.
(iii) Reduction of carbon dioxide into carbohydrate. Role of Stomata Stomata are tiny pores present on the surface of leaves. They are also present on the surface of young stems. Stomata are mainly engaged in the exchange of gases (entry of CO2 and release of O2) associated with photosynthesis. Plant closes the stomata when it does not need CO2 for photosynthesis.
(b) Sunlight is essential for photosynthesis
Procedure:
(i) Place a healthy green potted plant in a dark room for 1-2 days. This is done to ensure that the plant consumes all its reserve food and the leaves do not contain any starch.
(ii) Then, cover a portion of a leaf of this plant on both sides with two uniform pieces of black paper, fixed in position with two paper clips.
(iii) Now, expose this plant to bright light. After a few hours, remove the leaf and decolorize it with alcohol and test the presence of food (starch) with iodine solution. Observation: It can be observed that the portion of the leaf covered with black paper does not (food),
Conclusion: This is because the food prepared by plants through the process of photosynthesis is stored as starch. Starch reacts with the iodine solution to give blue-black colour. Only those portions of the leaf that were exposed to sunlight could photosynthesise. Hence, gives blue- black colour when tested with iodine. The portion of the leaf covered with black paper did not receive sunlight. Hence, starch was not produced. Thus, it can be concluded that the sunlight is essential for photosynthesis.