Final answer:
The plant died after ten days in a black box because it received no light, preventing photosynthesis and leading to energy depletion.
Step-by-step explanation:
When David put the plant in a black box and covered it with a black lid, he prevented it from receiving any light. Plants require light to perform photosynthesis, which is a process that converts light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose that plants use as food. Without light, the plant cannot produce the necessary energy to grow and stay alive.
Over the course of ten days, the plant within the black box used up its stored energy reserves, as no photosynthesis was occurring due to the absence of light. Additionally, essential processes such as respiration and water uptake may have been negatively affected. Therefore, the most plausible cause of the plant's death after being kept in complete darkness for ten days is the lack of photosynthesis and subsequent depletion of energy reserves.