EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Elevated [CO2] increases the availability of carbon in leaves causing greater Rubisco activity and higher rates of photosynthesis.

Detailed explanation-2: -Carbon dioxide and rate of photosynthesis An increase in the carbon dioxide concentration increases the rate at which carbon is incorporated into carbohydrate in the light-independent reaction, and so the rate of photosynthesis generally increases until limited by another factor.

Detailed explanation-3: -Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet, causing climate change. Human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content by 50% in less than 200 years.

Detailed explanation-4: -During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) from the air and soil. Within the plant cell, the water is oxidized, meaning it loses electrons, while the carbon dioxide is reduced, meaning it gains electrons. This transforms the water into oxygen and the carbon dioxide into glucose.

Detailed explanation-5: -As carbon dioxide concentrations increase, so too does the rate of photosynthesis until a certain point where the graph levels off. At lower carbon dioxide concentrations carbon dioxide is the limiting factor because an increase in carbon dioxide causes an increase in photosynthesis.