NEETBotanyEcosystem
What is photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)?
Options
- AThe amount of incident solar radiation that is used by autotrophs
- BThe amount of solar radiation that is not used by autotrophs
- CThe amount of solar radiation that is used by heterotrophs
- DThe amount of solar radiation that is not used by heterotrophs
Correct answer
A. The amount of incident solar radiation that is used by autotrophs
Step-by-step solution
:. Except for the deep sea hydro-thermal ecosystem, sun is the only source of energy for all ecosystems on Earth. Of the incident solar radiation less than 50 per cent of it is photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). We know that plants and photosynthetic bacteria (autotrophs), fix Sun’s radiant energy to make food from simple inorganic materials. Plants capture only 2-10 per cent of the PAR and this small amount of energy sustains the entire living world. So, it is very important to know how the solar energy ca