Mrs. Irwin's integrating science in garden restoration |
Food and
Energy
Matter and energy in plants
From the NGSS disciplinary core ideas for Organization of Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms LS1.C: Within individual organisms, food moves through series of chemical reactions in which it is broken and rearranged to form new molecules, to support growth or release energy.
Both plants and animals need food, water, air and minerals to survive. Living organisms are made of cells. Living organisms acquire and use matter and energy. Food is a source of building material for cells and a source to be burnt to transfer energy.
Animals take in food that is broken down through the digestive system into small enough molecules that can be transported through the cell membrane. These molecules can be used as building materials or as an energy source. The three food molecules are: proteins, fats, and sugars. Let's say a chipmunk ate a raspberry from our garden and the raspberry has been digested, broken down and the sugars have been absorbed. There is a carbohydrate building factory in his cells that wants to use the sugars to build more carbohydrate building factories. All of the organelles in the cells work to create more organelles pairs so that the cell can divide, creating another cell. Building more and more cells will help the chipmunk grow. ATP from the power plant (mitochondria) and three sugar molecules enter the factory. ATP releases chemical energy that binds the sugar molecules into a complex sugar that leaves the power house to be used inside of the cell.
Plants take in carbon dioxide and water and change them into sugar (photosynthesis below) which can then be changed into other food molecules. Sugar is used in the power plant (mitchondria) to transfer chemical energy from the sugar into a usable source for the cell. Our columbine plant wants to grow more leaves and thus, make more cells. One sugar molecule enters the power plant, along with 6 oxygen (O2) molecules needed in order for the sugar to go through combustion and burn up. The combustion causes a release of thermal energy and the original sugar leaves the organelle as 6 water molecules, 6 CO2 molecules and chemical energy transported by ATP.
Another thing to note in the plant cell is that they use their own molecules in the building factories. The protein factory has stored amino acids but needs the nitrogen supplied from the soil to build the amino acids into different protein structures. This is why nitrogen is needed by the plants in our garden to grow. Below is a chart of what each of the minerals taken up in the roots in our garden will use to help our plants grow.
Animals take in food that is broken down through the digestive system into small enough molecules that can be transported through the cell membrane. These molecules can be used as building materials or as an energy source. The three food molecules are: proteins, fats, and sugars. Let's say a chipmunk ate a raspberry from our garden and the raspberry has been digested, broken down and the sugars have been absorbed. There is a carbohydrate building factory in his cells that wants to use the sugars to build more carbohydrate building factories. All of the organelles in the cells work to create more organelles pairs so that the cell can divide, creating another cell. Building more and more cells will help the chipmunk grow. ATP from the power plant (mitochondria) and three sugar molecules enter the factory. ATP releases chemical energy that binds the sugar molecules into a complex sugar that leaves the power house to be used inside of the cell.
Plants take in carbon dioxide and water and change them into sugar (photosynthesis below) which can then be changed into other food molecules. Sugar is used in the power plant (mitchondria) to transfer chemical energy from the sugar into a usable source for the cell. Our columbine plant wants to grow more leaves and thus, make more cells. One sugar molecule enters the power plant, along with 6 oxygen (O2) molecules needed in order for the sugar to go through combustion and burn up. The combustion causes a release of thermal energy and the original sugar leaves the organelle as 6 water molecules, 6 CO2 molecules and chemical energy transported by ATP.
Another thing to note in the plant cell is that they use their own molecules in the building factories. The protein factory has stored amino acids but needs the nitrogen supplied from the soil to build the amino acids into different protein structures. This is why nitrogen is needed by the plants in our garden to grow. Below is a chart of what each of the minerals taken up in the roots in our garden will use to help our plants grow.
Mineral : Function
- Phosphorus: Atom in energy delivery molecule (ATP)
- Potassium: Controls the opening and closing of pores in the leaves that allow the exit of water molecules
- Nitrogen: Used to make amino acid molecule chains
- Sulfur: Atom in some protein molecules
- Calcium: Controls the movement of molecules into the roots of plants
- Potassium: Controls the opening and closing of pores in the leaves that allow the exit of water molecules
- Nitrogen: Used to make amino acid molecule chains
- Sulfur: Atom in some protein molecules
- Calcium: Controls the movement of molecules into the roots of plants
In each of these ideas, it must be expressed that energy and atoms are forever; the same number and type of atoms exist before and after and change in a substance and the same number of energy units is transferred and or changed into another type of energy.
photosynthesis
From the NGSS disiplinary core ideas for Organization of Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms LS1.C: Plants, algae (phytoplankton included) and many microorganisms use the energy from light to make sugars (food) from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and water through the process of photosynthesis, which also releases oxygen. These sugars can be used immediately or stored for growth or for later use.
The plants in our garden, like the cilantro, will use photosynthesis to make its food. Water is carried to the leaves (or green stem) of the cilantro from the roots via the xylem (transport tunnel in the stem). Carbon Dioxide enters the leaves through the stomata. In this example, in order to change matter into new matter light energy from the sun over East Lansing is needed. Only light energy can break apart water and carbon dioxide molecules. Some of the light energy is converted to chemical energy. Sugar molecules require a lot of chemical energy. As pictured in the equation above, after all of the atoms have been sorted into one sugar molecule, there are 6 oxygen molecules left over. This oxygen will leave the cilantro leaves and go into the atmosphere around the garden. The sugar is then transported with water throughout the cilantro plant. The white board below models the changes in matter and energy during photosynthesis and how you end up with the same number of atoms and the same number of units of energy.