Photosynthesis more efficient on Mars or Earth?
Photosynthesis more efficient on Mars or Earth?
I'd like to people's opinions on this subject. Given Mars' atmosphere, if there were plants and water on Mars, would photosynthesis be more efficient? What would be the materials used to decide this?? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
(I'm assuming you've got your putative plants in a room temperature greenhouse with warmed up martian atmosphere circulating through it - otherwise your plants are going to freeze instantly 
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I don't think it'd really be more efficient without changing the plants themselves. Plants can only take in a certain amount of CO2 per instance of the reaction that creates sugar and oxygen:
6H2O + 6CO2 ----------> C6H12O6+ 6O2
Having a CO2 atmosphere just means that there's more CO2 available to convert, I'm not sure it means that it'd be converted more efficiently though.
However, the obvious problem is that sunlight provides the energy for the reaction, and the sun is about 0.4 times the brightness at Mars as it is at Earth (so even if you were at the equator, you'd be getting less than half the illumination per square metre that you'd be getting at Earth's equator). That alone might make the photosynthetic reaction that much less efficient, depending on how much energy is actually required for the reaction to occur.
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I don't think it'd really be more efficient without changing the plants themselves. Plants can only take in a certain amount of CO2 per instance of the reaction that creates sugar and oxygen:
6H2O + 6CO2 ----------> C6H12O6+ 6O2
Having a CO2 atmosphere just means that there's more CO2 available to convert, I'm not sure it means that it'd be converted more efficiently though.
However, the obvious problem is that sunlight provides the energy for the reaction, and the sun is about 0.4 times the brightness at Mars as it is at Earth (so even if you were at the equator, you'd be getting less than half the illumination per square metre that you'd be getting at Earth's equator). That alone might make the photosynthetic reaction that much less efficient, depending on how much energy is actually required for the reaction to occur.
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eburacum45
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GlobeMaker
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For your experiment, use a vacuum pump to remove air from the
terrarium. Put in CO2 at a pressure of 7.6 torr (1/100 atmosphere).
Get an x-ray source to radiate the terrarium with x-rays. Add water.
Put on lead apron, lead face mask, lead gloves. Sit back and watch
everything die in the terrarium. Use time lapse photography to record
the motion of the plants as they wilt. Show the video here.
terrarium. Put in CO2 at a pressure of 7.6 torr (1/100 atmosphere).
Get an x-ray source to radiate the terrarium with x-rays. Add water.
Put on lead apron, lead face mask, lead gloves. Sit back and watch
everything die in the terrarium. Use time lapse photography to record
the motion of the plants as they wilt. Show the video here.
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Don. Edwards
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One other factor you must take into account is that plants also need Oxygen to survive. Simply sticking them in a near 100% CO2 atmosphere isn't going to give you very good results. Just thought I would drop that in.
Don. Edwards
Don. Edwards
I am officially a retired member.
I might answer a PM or a post if its relevant to something.
Ah, never say never!!
Past texture releases, Hmm let me think about it
Thanks for your understanding.
I might answer a PM or a post if its relevant to something.
Ah, never say never!!
Past texture releases, Hmm let me think about it
Thanks for your understanding.
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delmarco
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- Location: NYC(home) & Tallahasse(FSU)
less, for obvious reasons (the 1st is we are here and not there).
to add I would say sun light being just right & planet size/gravity being just right, would be a factor for the advanced development of surface life.
However when we refer to life on mars we are NOT refering to what we would call life here on earth....
what may have developed on Mars may be no more complex than sub surface autophids....tiny microscopic bugs that livein dark(?), warm, possibly wet or dry-icey places.
to add I would say sun light being just right & planet size/gravity being just right, would be a factor for the advanced development of surface life.
However when we refer to life on mars we are NOT refering to what we would call life here on earth....
what may have developed on Mars may be no more complex than sub surface autophids....tiny microscopic bugs that livein dark(?), warm, possibly wet or dry-icey places.
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