[Campbell Biology P.869] The introductory paragraph suggests that some plants might engage i... | Practice Question

The introductory paragraph suggests that some plants might engage in a limited amount of carnivory by taking up and digesting microorganisms. What specific challenge is highlighted in the text regarding plants taking in whole bacteria, and what mechanism is suggested to overcome it?

  • A: The small pore size of plant cell walls (less than 10 nm) makes it difficult to absorb whole bacteria (about 1,000 nm), suggesting digestion of the cell wall is required.
  • B: Plants lack the enzymes to digest bacterial cell walls, making direct absorption impossible.
  • C: The primary challenge is attracting microorganisms to the roots, which plants overcome by releasing specific chemical signals.
  • D: Microorganisms are too large to pass through the plasma membrane, so plants must rely on active transport of individual nutrients after microbial decomposition outside the root.

Explanation

The introductory paragraph explicitly states: "Due to the small pore size of the cell wall less than 10 nm relative to the size of bacterial cells about 1,000 nm , taking in microorganisms may depend on digestion of the cell wall." This identifies the size discrepancy as the challenge and cell wall digestion as the proposed solution.