Question

Which of the following is the main purpose of respiration of plants?
A) Breaking of complex food into simple ones
B) Production of energy
C) Exchanges of gases
D) Both A and B

Answer 1

Hint: All the living organisms required energy to do the functions. The energy is released when the respiratory substrates like carbohydrates get oxidised. In plants, the exchanges of gases are called diffusion. This gaseous movement takes place through a small opening or pore called stomata.

Complete step-by-step answer:
The cellular respiration is the mechanism by which cells in the plants’ breakdown the food materials and releases the energy. This energy is trapped for the synthesis of ATP. The process of photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts where plant cells prepared their food. In cytoplasm and the mitochondria, the breakdowns of the food molecules take place to yield energy. The respiration is the process by which the C-C bond of the complex compound is breakdown via oxidation and some amount of energy is out. The releasing of energy is not a one-step process; it is a series of steps which is controlled by the enzyme. The energy present in the respiratory substrates is not released into the cells. The compounds which get oxidised during the process are known as respiratory substrates. Mostly the carbohydrates get oxidised. In some conditions, fat, protein and other organic substances get oxidised. Cellular respiration is a three-stage process. The first step is glycolysis followed by the Krebs cycles and finally the electron transport chain.
Therefore the main purpose of the respiration in the plant is to breakdown the food molecules and from that finally, yield the energy.

So the correct answer is option D.

Note: During the process of respiration oxygen is required and they give out the carbon dioxide, water and energy. Like animals, plants don’t have the specialised cell for this process, but they stomata and lenticels to perform this function.