Which of the following allocates the greatest amount of biomass to photosynthetic tissue and the least amount to supportive tissue?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Grasses allocate the greatest amount of biomass to photosynthetic tissue (leaves) and the least amount to supportive tissue (stem and roots). This is because grasses have evolved to grow rapidly and efficiently in nutrient-poor environments, and investing more biomass in photosynthetic tissue allows for greater access to sunlight and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Trees, shrubs, and lianas require more supportive tissue (woody stems and roots) to maintain upright growth and can allocate less biomass to photosynthetic tissue as a result.

Which of the Following Allocates the Greatest Amount of Biomass