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 ¹⁴CO₂and then track the movement of the¹⁴C atoms by radiography. Where are you least likely to detect ¹⁴C?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The radioisotope tracer was applied to one side of the lower shoot, so it is least likely to be detected in a mature upper leaf on the opposite side of the plant from the treated leaf. The tracer is expected to move in the direction of the treated leaf and its associated vasculature, so it is more likely to be detected in the treated leaf, a young leaf directly above the treated leaf, and the shoot apical meristem. The tracer may also be detected in the roots as it moves throughout the plant.

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