Suppose you seal a house plant in a transparent glass container. What about the scenario would lead to the plant’s death?

Question

Responses

a lack of oxygen
a lack of oxygen - incorrect

a lack of light
a lack of light - no response given

a lack of sugars
a lack of sugars - no response given

a lack of carbon dioxide

Answer 1

In the scenario of sealing a house plant in a transparent glass container, the primary factor that would lead to the plant's death over time is a lack of carbon dioxide.

Plants require carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, which is the process they use to convert light energy into chemical energy. In a sealed environment, the plant may initially have enough carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, but as it continues to use the carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, the levels of carbon dioxide can become insufficient. This could eventually halt photosynthesis, leading to the plant's death.

Although a lack of light could also contribute to the plant's demise, especially if it is not receiving adequate light for photosynthesis, without carbon dioxide, the plant cannot perform photosynthesis effectively even if there is light available. Therefore, a lack of carbon dioxide is the critical factor in this scenario.

Answer 2

a lack of carbon dioxide.

Answer 3

Correct! In a sealed environment, while the plant can initially use the available carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, over time it will exhaust that supply. Since plants need carbon dioxide to produce sugars and energy through photosynthesis, a lack of carbon dioxide would ultimately lead to the plant's inability to sustain itself, resulting in its death.

The other factors like a lack of light and a lack of oxygen are important as well, but in the context of a sealed glass container, the depletion of carbon dioxide is the most critical factor affecting the plant's survival.