From owner-metabolic-reg@net.bio.net Thu Jan 06 22:00:00 1994
Newsgroups: bionet.metabolic-reg
Path: biosci!daresbury!doc.ic.ac.uk!uknet!pipex!howland.reston.ans.net!torn!utnut!alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca!mroussel
From: mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Marc Roussel)
Subject: Re: photosynthesis, exo or endo
Message-ID: <1994Jan7.161730.21122@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca>
Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 16:17:30 GMT
Distribution: bionet
References: <2gjq3f$21o@mserv1.dl.ac.uk>
Organization: Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto
Lines: 21

In article <2gjq3f$21o@mserv1.dl.ac.uk> SCHLOSSER@ciit.org writes:
>In <9401061749.AA19905@net.bio.net>
>mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Marc Roussel) writes:
>>      Ever since this discussion started, I've been trying to decide why
>> we should care whether or not photosynthesis removes heat from its
>> surroundings.
>
>I assumed that the question was to what extent the process heats or cools
>the plant involved (in which case, one should not count the photons, since
>absorbing them does not cool the plant).  This might be important for plants
>living at very high or low temperatures.

     I find it hard to believe that this would be a significant effect.
Because photosynthesis always takes place near the surface of the plant
(usually in thin structures like leaves), even a very small thermal
coupling term to the environment should suffice to hold the temperature
at that of the environment, unless the conductivity of the plant is very
large.  I don't think that this is usually (ever?) the case.

				Marc R. Roussel
                                mroussel@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca

.