how would the composition of earth's atmosphere change if green plants and other autotrophs disappeared? explain why in terms of your knowledge of photosynthesis. :D
2007-02-20 13:02:15 · 2 answers · asked by Kat 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
The reason we have oxygen in our atmosphere is because of photosynthesis. If we lost all these organisms oxygen production would virtual stop. Carbon dioxide would increase since there would be no organisms to utilize it. As the animals died off the amount of oxygen would decrease due to decay. Life on earth would cease to exists as we know it. Anaerobic and chemo-synthetic bacteria would be left to restart the process.
2007-02-23 16:39:49 · answer #1 · answered by ATP-Man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there were no green plants that would mean that chlorophyll would have not existed. Chlorophyll is a pigment that reflects the green wavelengths in our atmosphere while absorbing others like reds to blues. The first steps of photosynthesis require the presence of chlorophyll A because the wavelengths of light excite electrons within the pigment which is inside the chloroplasts of cells.Therefore, without green plants photosynthesis cannot procede. This effects the earth's atmospher dramatically in terms of the oxygen level. O2 is a by-product of these reactions. Hope some of this helped
g'day mate
2007-02-20 21:11:44 · answer #2 · answered by Luke D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋