As an undergraduate research assistant, you are assisting with a radioisotope tracer experiment. You expose a mature leaf on one side of the lower shoot of a sugar beet plant to 14CO2 and then track the movement of the 14C atoms by radiography. Where are you LEAST likely to detect 14C?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The 14C atoms are likely to move upward through the plant and be detected in the young leaf directly above the treated leaf (choice E) as well as in the shoot apical meristem (choice B). The 14C atoms may also be absorbed by the roots (choice C) and transported to other parts of the plant, such as the stem, but are unlikely to travel downward to a mature upper leaf on the opposite side of the plant from the treated leaf (choice D). The treated leaf (choice A) is the most likely place to detect 14C initially.

As an Undergraduate Research Assistant, You Are Assisting with a Radioisotope