Environmental Literacy ProjectMichigan State University

Lesson 2.3: Materials Plants Are Made Of

Large Scale: Farm fieldBenchmark

ScalePower of Ten

Decimal Style

Large scale

Larger105

104

103

Larger100,00010,0001,000

Macroscopic

102

101

100

10-1

10-2

10-3

100101 meter0.10.010.001

Microscopic

10-4

10-5

10-6

10-7

0.0 0010.00 0010.000 0010.0 000 001

Atomic-molecular

10-8

10-9

Smaller

0.00 000 0010.000 000 001Smaller

Scale: 103 meters = 1000 meters Scale: 102 meters = 100 meters Scale: 101 meters = 10 meters Scale: 100 meters = 1 meters Scale: 10-1 meters = 0.1 meters Scale: 10-2 meters = 0.01 meters Scale: 10-3 meters = 0.001 meters Scale: 10-4 meters = 0.0 001 meters Scale: 10-5 meters = 0.00 001 meters Scale: 10-6 meters = 0.000 001 meters Scale: 10-7 meters = 0.0 000 001 meters Scale: 10-8 meters = 0.00 000 001 meters Scale: 10-9 meters = 0.000 000 001 meters

GlucoseStarch

What are plants made of?We can find out what materials plants made of by reading nutrition labels for plant foods. We will use labels with a serving size of 100 g.This means that 1 g = 1% of the materials in the food

What are plants made of?CARBOHYDRATES

glucose

starch

fiber

What atoms are carbohydrates made of?

An Example of a Plant Root: Carrots

Total carbohydrate = starch + sugar + fiber (such as cellulose)

How much starch is in 100 grams of carrots?

What are plants made of?

FATS

Fat molecule1 glycerol 3 fatty acids

What atoms are fats made of?

Fat in Peanuts (Plant Seeds)

How much fat is in 100 grams of peanuts?

What are plants made of?PROTEIN

What atoms are proteins made of?

Two of the Amino Acids

Protein in Carrots

How much protein is in 100 grams of carrots?

Organic Molecules in Plants

FATS

GLUCOSE

STARCH

PROTEINS

CARBOHYDRATES:

What atoms are organic molecules in plants made

of?

Minerals in PlantsPlants also contain minerals that are used for plant functions. These minerals have different kinds of atoms, including:• Nitrogen• Phosphorous• Calcium• Sodium

Other Molecules in Plants

Vitamins, minerals, and cholesterol make up less than 1% of plants (less than 1 gram out of 100 grams).

Water in Plants

Besides organic materials or biomass (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) plants are made up mostly of water.

About how much water is in 100 grams of carrots?

How Much Water Is in Carrots?Organic materials in carrotsProtein: 1% (1 g out of 100 g)Carbohydrates: 10%Fat: 0%Cholesterol and vitamins: less than 1%Inorganic materials in carrotsMinerals (sodium, iron): less than 1%What’s left? WATER: about 89%

Chemical Energy in a Plant Root: Carrots

Organic molecules in plants have chemical energy in their high-energy bonds (C-C and C-H).

Calories measure how much usable energy is stored in the organic molecules of a plant.

Where are atoms moving from?

• Carbon dioxide in the air enters plants through their leaves

• Water in the soil enters plants through their roots

• Minerals enter plants dissolved in water through their roots

Plant Growth: The Movement Question

Plant Growth: The Carbon and Energy Questions

Carbon: Where do the atoms that make up carbohydrates, fats, and proteins come from?• Carbon• Oxygen• Hydrogen• Nitrogen

Energy: Where does the chemical energy in the high-energy (C-C and C-H) bonds of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins come from?

Plant Growth: The Carbon and Energy Questions

Carbon: What materials do the atoms that make up carbohydrates, fats, and proteins come from?• Carbon: from CO2 to glucose

made in photosynthesis• Oxygen: from CO2 to glucose

made in photosynthesis• Hydrogen: from H2O to

glucose made in photosynthesis

• Nitrogen: from soil minerals

Energy: Where does the chemical energy in the high-energy (C-C and C-H) bonds of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins come from?• From light to C-C and C-

H bonds in glucose made in photosynthesis