Respiration?

Question

Can any one explain the reasons for respiration in plants?

Answer 1

Plant respiration;

Respiration in plants, as in all living organisms, is essential to provide metabolic energy and carbon skeletons for growth and maintenance. As such, respiration is an essential component of a plant€s carbon budget. Depending on species and environmental conditions, it consumes 25-75% of all the carbohydrates produced in photosynthesis € even more at extremely slow growth rates. Respiration in plants can also proceed in a manner that produces neither metabolic energy nor carbon skeletons, but heat. This type of respiration involves the cyanide-resistant, alternative oxidase; it is unique to plants, and resides in the mitochondria. The activity of this alternative pathway can be measured based on a difference in fractionation of oxygen isotopes between the cytochrome and the alternative oxidase. Heat production is important in some flowers to attract pollinators; however, the alternative oxidase also plays a major role in leaves and roots of most plants. A common thread throughout this volume is to link respiration, including alternative oxidase activity, to plant functioning in different environments.

Written for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers working on plant respiration and university staff teaching plant biology



The following is also helpful.

Basically, plant respiration it is the opposite of
photosynthesis.
http://van.hep.uiuc.edu/van/qa/section/Everything_Else/Plants/20020401050058.htm
http://www.officeport.com/enrich/lessons/pdf/3-A.pdf

hope this helps
good luck

>^,,^<

Answer 2

All processes which go on in plants need energy. Whatever it is the plant is doing be it making seeds, flowering, growing roots or whatever else needs energy. This energy comes from using food just as it does in people. The food the plant uses is carbohydrates produced by photosynthesis. These carbohydrates are broken down in chemical reactions which release energy. As a by-product of energy release, respiration occurs. The plant is not deliberately respiring, the chemical reactions which are happening have respiration as a side-effect.

Answer 3

Plants have to perform respiration to get energy like us.

During photosynthesis they use sunlight to react water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and sugar. The sugar can be used for a number of things, but quite a bit is used to give the plant energy i.e. respiration.

The plant has to do this because the sugar (glucose) is not abundantly to it in the soil, or anywhere else.

See http://scienceaid.co.uk/biology/plants/photosynthesis.html

Answer 4

Plants respire so they can form energy via photosynthesis to use for active transport in the plant for areas when water needs to move from an area of lower water potential to higher

Answer 5

You might find this website very very useful. I did.
http://biologymad.com/
Go to A2 biology then stroll down on the left side of the book click on Phosynthesis and respiration

Answer 6

no need to confuse you.you have already good answers.