Onion epidermal cell Onion epidermal cell The epidermal cells of onions provide a protective layer against viruses and fungi that may harm the sensitive tissues. Because of their simple structure and transparency they are often used to introduce students to plant anatomy or to demonstrate plasmolysis. The clear epidermal cells exist in a single layer and do not contain chloroplasts, because the onion fruiting body (bulb) is used for storing energy, not photosynthesis. Each plant cell has a cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, and a large vacuole. The nucleus is present at the periphery of the cytoplasm. The vacuole is prominent and
Fractionation of carbon isotopes in oxygenic photosynthesis + 2 H + 3 ATP + OThe light-independent reactions undergo the Calvin-Benson cycle, in which the energy from NADPH and ATP is used to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic compounds via the enzyme RuBisCO. The overall general equation for the light-independent reactions is the following:3 CO + 9 ATP + 6 NADPH + 6 H → CHO-phosphate + 9 ADP + 8 P + 6 NADP + 3 HOThe 3-carbon products (CHO-phosphate) of the Calvin cycle are later converted to glucose or other carbohydrates such as starch, sucrose, and cellulose. The large fractionation of C in photosynthesis