Question

Which of these is the contribution of 'Dutrochet' to plant physiology?

• A. He explained then mass flow mechanism of translocation of solutes.
• B. He identified that chlorophyll has an important role in photosynthesis.
• C. He explained the active absorption mechanism of minerals in plants.
• D. He identified the regulatory mechanism for stomatal movements in scotoactive plants.

Answer 1

The correct option is B He identified that chlorophyll has an important role in photosynthesis.

René Joachim Henri Dutrochet (14 November 1776 – 4 February 1847) was a French physician, botanist and physiologist. He discovered and named the phenomenon of osmosis (the passage of solvent through a semipermeable membrane) and was the first to recognize the importance of green pigment in the use of carbon dioxide by plant cells. He was the first to investigate thoroughly the mechanisms of respiration, light sensitivity, and geotropism (orientation in response to gravitation) in plants; and his classical experiments on osmosis included recognition of its role in internal plant transport and diffusion through semipermeable membranes. He constructed an osmometer (a device to measure osmotic pressure), developed a technique to detect heat production in muscle tissue and in individual plants, showed that mushrooms are the reproductive bodies of the mycelium (mass of fungal filaments), and was one of the first to recognize the importance of individual cells in the functioning of an organism.

So the correct option is 'he identified that chlorophyll has an important role in photosynthesis'.