Answer:
Photosynthesis defines the process by which plants and some bacteria manufacture glucose. Scientists summarize the process as follows: using sunlight, carbon dioxide + water = glucose + oxygen. The process occurs within special structures called chloroplasts located in the cells of leaves. Optimum photosynthetic rates lead to the removal of greater amounts of carbon dioxide from the local atmosphere, producing greater amounts of glucose. Since glucose levels within plants are difficult to measure, scientists utilize the amount of carbon dioxide assimilation or its release as a means to measure photosynthetic rates. During the night, for example, or when conditions are not prime, plants release carbon dioxide. Maximum photosynthetic rates vary between plant species, but crops such as maize can achieve carbon dioxide assimilation rates as high as 0.075 ounce per cubic foot per hour, or 100 milligrams per decimeter per hour. To achieve optimum growth of some plants, farmers keep them in greenhouses that regulate conditions such as humidity and temperature. There are three temperature regimes over which the rate of photosynthesis changes.
Low Temperature
Enzymes are protein molecules used by living organisms to carry out biochemical reactions. The proteins are folded into a very particular shape, and this allows them to bind efficiently to the molecules of interest. At low temperatures, between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit – 0 and 10 degrees Celsius – the enzymes that carry out photosynthesis do not work efficiently, and this decreases the photosynthetic rate. This leads to a decrease in glucose production and will result in stunted growth. For plants inside a greenhouse, the installation of a greenhouse heater and thermostat prevents this from occurring.
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