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Where does the carbon that makes up most of the dry mass of a plant come from?
AFrom atmospheric carbon dioxide
BFrom carbonates dissolved in soil water
CFrom humus decaying in the topsoil
DFrom carbon fixed by root nodules
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. From atmospheric carbon dioxide
1. Plants absorb nutrients and water through the roots and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
2. Carbon obtained from atmospheric carbon dioxide composes the majority of the dry mass within most plants.
3. An organic compound is one that contains carbon, and carbon dioxide from the air is the example given.
4. Root nodules fix nitrogen rather than carbon, so that option names the wrong element.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 31 "Soil and Plant Nutrition", section 31.1 Nutritional Requirements of Plants_
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