alleryStart learning →On average, what proportion of the dry weight of a cell is carbon?
A10 percent
B30 percent
C50 percent
D80 percent
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. 50 percent
1. Carbon is required to form carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids and many other compounds, so it sits in every macromolecule.
2. On average the dry weight of a cell, excluding water, is 50 percent carbon.
3. Dry weight is the right basis here because water alone is 80 to 90 percent of fresh weight.
4. Cellulose, the main structural component of the plant cell wall, is itself over thirty percent of plant matter and is built on carbon.
_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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