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The leaves of an oak tree are green and those leaves use light to help the tree grow. If the tree was exposed only to green light, what would happen?

1) The tree would grow more quickly because green light is used by the tree.
2) The tree would not grow well because the tree does not use much green light compared to other wavelengths.
3) The growth rate of the tree would not change.
4) The growth rate would depend on how hot the green light was.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The oak tree would not grow well under only green light because chlorophyll, the main pigment in leaves, does not absorb green light effectively for photosynthesis. Green light is reflected by the leaves, leading to poor plant growth and development compared to exposure to blue and red light wavelengths.

Step-by-step explanation:

If an oak tree was exposed only to green light, the tree would not grow well. This is because oak trees, like many plants, have chlorophyll that primarily absorbs blue and red light for the process of photosynthesis, and reflects green light, which is why leaves appear green. Since green light is not efficiently used by plants for photosynthesis, the tree's growth would be negatively affected. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is option 2: The tree would not grow well because the tree does not use much green light compared to other wavelengths.

Regarding the specific conditions of oak trees, they require a significant amount of energy for growth and maintenance. They compete for sunlight as their primary energy source, so limited access to usable light would hinder their growth. Additionally, exposing plants to only green light has been shown to contribute to seedlings growing tall and spindly, as if grown in the dark.

In a general sense, light and photosynthesis are fundamental to plant growth. The light quality, intensity, and duration all play vital roles in a plant's ability to photosynthesize and grow. Plant growth can be severely limited by the lack of appropriate light, which is vital for photosynthesis.

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