[Campbell Biology P.206] Which of the following statements accurately describes the effect o... | Practice Question
Which of the following statements accurately describes the effect of environmental factors, particularly temperature, on enzyme activity and structure?
A: Enzyme activity continuously increases with temperature until denaturation occurs, which is primarily due to disruption of covalent bonds.
B: Enzymes function optimally at their denaturation temperature, allowing for the fastest conversion of reactants to products.
C: High temperatures above the optimum disrupt weak interactions like hydrogen and ionic bonds, leading to denaturation and a sharp decrease in enzyme activity.
D: pH primarily affects the overall shape of the enzyme, while temperature only impacts the rate of molecular collisions without affecting enzyme structure.
Explanation
The text explains that enzyme activity increases with temperature up to a point, but above that, high temperatures disrupt hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, and other weak interactions that stabilize the active shape, leading to denaturation and a sharp drop in activity. This describes the mechanism accurately.