Question 17 of 25 Why do plants produce more carbon dioxide than oxygen during the night?
A. Respiration can only occur when there is no available sunlight.
Ο Ο Ο
B. Photosynthesis only produces carbon dioxide during the night.
C. Respiration can happen without sunlight, but photosynthesis
cannot.
D. Respiration produces oxygen during the day and carbon dioxide at
night
SUBMIT

C. Respiration can happen without sunlight, but photosynthesis

cannot.

Explanation:

Respiration is the metabolic process by which the cells of living organisms, plants inclusive, obtain energy. Photosynthesis, on the other hand, is the process whereby plant cells synthesize their food in form of sugars (glucose).

Photosynthesis takes place in two stages namely: light dependent stage and light independent stage. The light dependent stage occurs strictly in the presence of sunlight, where oxygen gas is released as a product. Hence, it can only occurs during the day. Respiration, which breaks down the sugar product of photosynthesis to produce energy, occurs at anytime (day or night). Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is released as a product.

Since the light dependent stage of photosynthesis cannot occur without sunlight, it cannot occur at night. this means that oxygen gas will not be released at night. However, respiration which occurs during daytime and nighttime continually releases carbon dioxide gas. This accounts for the reason CO2 gas is produced more by plants than oxygen at night.