Question

Sun's radiant energy is utilized by
(a)Trees
(b)Green plants
(c)Phytoplankton
(d)All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Photosynthesis is the key process for sustaining life on Earth. It requires the radiant energy of the sun that gets converted to chemical energy by photosynthetic autotrophs and thus produces carbohydrates.

Complete answer:
Trees, green plants, and Phytoplankton- all of these contain chlorophyll in them. Every organism having these pigments can convert sunlight into energy and use it for photosynthesis. Therefore all photosynthetic organisms utilize the sun's radiant energy.

Additional Information: The green chlorophyll pigments are essential for photosynthesis as they allow the organisms containing them to absorb energy from light. It absorbs mainly the blue portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and also the red portion. The green portion gets reflected and gives the chlorophyll-containing tissues its green coloration. Green plants, some algae, and some bacteria contain these pigments and hence can utilize the radiant energy of the sun and carry out photosynthesis.
Phytoplanktons are autotrophic, photosynthetic components of the plankton community (that travels by the water current in the aquatic environment). These are very important parts of the Aquatic ecosystem. They show some colored patches on their body due to the presence of chlorophyll pigments which helps them to carry out their autotrophic nutrition. These are primary producers of the aquatic food web.
So, the correct answer is “all of the above”.

Note: By radiant energy of the sun, we mean the energy of the electromagnetic radiation of sunlight. This electromagnetic radiation includes particularly infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. This radiant energy is vital for life on Earth as it is a key factor in the process of photosynthesis. The photosynthetic autotrophs absorb portions of the electromagnetic spectrum and convert this light energy into chemical energy and utilize it to produce carbohydrates and to fuel the organism's activities.