Nocturnal Plants

[mith]

There's a chart out there somewhere that shows the different wavelengths of light that plants can use. As long as the light corresponds to one of the light capturing pigments it should be able to photosynthesize. So yes, moonlight and florescent light can be used.

[RobJim]

Yes and no. Yes. All energy is destined to become heat energy...but not all energy in the body will become heat energy while still in the body. Heat energy released from the body is called waste heat...a result of inefficiency.

OK, I suppose that makes sense. However in the form of ATP, the body has not yet used that energy; it's only repackaged it. Any energy that is left in the waste products or the body after the animal dies has simply been stored for later conversion to heat. Right?

I suppose there are some exceptions, like milk and the liquid that aphids release, but these exceptions get eaten by another animal and used or stored by that animal.

A more complete equation might look like this:

Sunlight + CO2 => [PLANT] => O2 + sugar => [ANIMAL OR OTHER ORGANISM] => CO2 + body heat + unused chemical energy

However, this is moving away from the main question, which was "will a plant suffocate you by competing with you for oxygen?" The purpose of my equation was to show that plants produce more oxygen than they consume over a 24 hour period and the basic idea of why. You are right though. My equation was incomplete.

[RobJim]

There's a chart out there somewhere that shows the different wavelengths of light that plants can use. As long as the light corresponds to one of the light capturing pigments it should be able to photosynthesize. So yes, moonlight and florescent light can be used.

It's mostly visible light, except green light for some reason. This is why plants look green; they reflect that wavelength and use the others.

[thank.darwin]

[b] However in the form of ATP, the body has not yet used that energy; it's only repackaged it. Any energy that is left in the waste products or the body after the animal dies has simply been stored for later conversion to heat. Right?

Yes you are right that ATP gets repackaged; but ATP doesn't stay as ATP for very long- it is turned into ADP + P (energy and heat) very fast - Thats why we never have large quanties of ATP but in a day; we use about our full body weight in ATP in a day. Can ATP be stored that long - my biology teacher told me no - Does anyone know that right answer?

[RobJim]

I suppose some of that energy gets changed into things like gravitational potential energy (if you put a cup on a high shelf, for example) or kinetic energy (a ball gets thrown).

[thank.darwin]

I suppose some of that energy gets changed into things like gravitational potential energy (if you put a cup on a high shelf, for example) or kinetic energy (a ball gets thrown).

Please explain what you mean by that - gets changed into kinetic or potential energy

[RobJim]

OK. Here's a possible path for energy to take.

It starts as nuclear potential energy in hydrogen atoms in the Sun. When they fuse to helium, it's emitted as sunlight which a plant captures via photosynthesis. The plant, a potato, turns the energy into chemical potential energy in the potato. I eat the potato, and my body converts it into ATP. I then use that ATP to pick up a cup from the dishwasher and lift it to a high shelf, where it is stored as gravitational potential energy (+heat). Or, I use the ATP to pick up and hurl a baseball, where it becomes kinetic energy (+heat).

[thank.darwin]

I just had a unit about that in my biology class - I just didn't understand what you were saying so thank-you for clearing that up

[mith]

I believe atp only lasts for a few minutes which is why we need to breath. Otherwise our cells will not have enough atp to function and will die.

[MrMistery]

I haven't had the time to read all that was said so i apologize if this was already said.
IT IS HARMFULL TO SLEEP WITH PLANTS IN YOUR ROOM, the reason is very simple
The plant does release oxygen into the athmosphere during daytime but not at night. Furthermore, a window is usually open during daytime so the oxygen produced is gone then. During nightime the plant consumes oxygen and releases CO2, this can cause the asfixiation of a person sleeping there, perticullary is the room is darker than normal during the day, bot only only in that case THERE HAVE BEEN CASES OF PEOPLE DYING THIS WAY
I know this from my biology book so I am pretty sure

[biologyistehcool]

THERE HAVE BEEN CASES OF PEOPLE DYING THIS WAY

That's crazy, especially with all the healthy people who are fooled because of teachers telling them that plants always release oxygen.

[thank.darwin]

Furthermore, a window is usually open during daytime so the oxygen produced is gone then.

Yes, Oxygen would be released but it would also come into the room