NUR ANIS AZWA BINTI MD ROBAI 2019273012

1. When does the photorespiration occur?

Photorespiration occurs during hot and dry days where plants close their stomata. The
concentration of carbon dioxide is low and concentration of oxygen is high. This is because
enzyme name rubisco fix oxygen as substrate instead of carbon dioxide.

2. What happen to O2 and CO2 during photorespiration?

Oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) will compete with each other for the same active site on
RuBP oxygenase-carboxylase (Rubisco). As the concentration of oxygen is higher than carbon
dioxide, oxygen will act as competitive inhibitor and RuBP carboxylase will fix to RuBP instead of
carbon dioxide.

3. Why does C3 plant produce less sugar during photorespiration?

This is because the declining level of CO2 in the leaf starves the Calvin cycle.

4. Why photorespiration considered as a wasteful process?

This is because photosynthetic rate will reduce. Firstly, unlike normal respiration (produce ATP),
photorespiration produce no ATP in fact it consume more ATP. Next, unlike photosynthesis
(produce sugar), photorespiration does not produce sugar or organic molecule instead it
decrease photosynthetic output by using organic material for Calvin cycle.

5. Write the reaction equation in photorespiration.

O2 + RuBP ---- Gycolate (2C)

rubisco

6. How does plant minimize photorespiration?

Plant can minimize photorespiration by increase the concentration of CO2 in the leaves so that
RuBP carboxylase is less likely to produce glycolate through reaction with O2. Next is alternative
mechanism of carbon fixation. First, hatch and slack C4 plant to fix different cells by capture CO2
in mesophyll cells and release it to the bundle sheath cells, where CO2 concentration is low.
Secondly, Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) to fix CO2 different time by allows absorption of
CO2 to take place at night so that stomata can be close during the day to prevent water loss.