Answer to Question #90718 in Cell Biology for Ahmad ahmad

Question

How is the energy radiated to Earth from the sun captured for use by life-forms on Earth?

Choices are:

It is captured by the inorganic substances found on Earth.

It is absorbed as heat by Earth and this is converted to energy used by life-forms.

It is captured by animals that subsequently make it available to plants.

It is captured by photosynthetic organisms.

Answer 1

It is captured by photosynthetic organisms.

Plants and other photosynthetic organisms use solar energy, water, and carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates required for the metabolism of the organisms. The energy is captured by specific complex molecules (i.e., chlorophyll) that use the captured photons to split water molecules into oxygen, hydrogen ion, and electrons that are used in the subsequent photosynthetic reactions.