Question

SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME THIS IS DUE TODAY!!!! A company that grows and sells fresh pears is concerned because workers notice that pears placed in storage seem to ripen slowly at first, but then suddenly display extremely rapid ripening. Perplexed, company officials call in two independent science teams to evaluate the problem.

• Team A makes the statement: "Your pears are under positive feedback control."

• Team B makes the statement: "Ethylene amplifies the fruit-ripening process by triggering both its own production in fruit and the production of enzymes catalyzing the breakdown of cell walls."

Both science teams made statements that help explain the observed acceleration of pear ripening in storage. The pears are ripening because ethylene builds up, which signals an increase in cell-wall breakdown, a reaction that is part of the ripening process. Ripening goes slowly at first because there is little ethylene present, but because it is under positive feedback control, a little ethylene induces more and more ethylene production as time goes on. This means that ethylene concentrations amplify very quickly, with the result that ripening is also amplified very quickly.
A representative of the pear company explains that pears are typically stored in small, tightly sealed storage bins just after harvesting. He asks whether the ripening process would be different if the same number of pears were stored in a much larger room with better ventilation. Predict whether these two scenarios can be expected to yield the same results, and Explain your reasoning​

Answer 1

Improved ventilation in a larger room with better ventilation would slow down the ripening process of pears due to the removal of ethylene gas.

Step-by-step explanation:

The ripening process of pears is influenced by the presence of ethylene gas. When pears are stored in small, tightly sealed storage bins, the concentration of ethylene builds up, leading to the rapid ripening. If the same number of pears were stored in a larger room with better ventilation, the ripening process would be different. Improved ventilation would remove the ethylene gas and slow down the ripening process.

Answer 2

Storing the same number of pears in a larger room with better ventilation would likely yield different results compared to storing them in small, tightly sealed storage bins. The reason for this lies in the role of ethylene, a key factor in the ripening process.

In the small, tightly sealed storage bins, ethylene is trapped and accumulates, leading to rapid amplification of the ripening process. This positive feedback loop intensifies the ripening, hence the observed sudden and rapid ripening of the pears.

In a larger room with better ventilation, the ethylene produced by the pears would disperse and be diluted in the air. With improved ventilation, the accumulation of ethylene would be reduced, breaking the positive feedback loop. As a result, the ripening process would likely proceed at a slower and more controlled pace compared to the tightly sealed storage bins.

The better ventilation in the larger room facilitates the dissipation of ethylene. This prevents its concentration from reaching levels that trigger rapid ripening. Consequently, the pears would the pears would ripen more gradually this scenario.

Step-by-step explanation: