Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Termite tummies give scientists something to digest

Link:http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19626315.300-termite-tummies-give-scientists-something-to-digest.html

Summery:Termites eat and digest wood.Termites use special enzymes to break down the tough wood that they eat and make it into suger.This would seem simple but its not.This stomach of the Termites is very complex and has several hundred species of symbiotic bacteria in it.

Questions:What reactions does this enzyme catalyze?The digestion wood and turing it into suger.
How is the cell affected if this enzyme is removed?It couldnt make suger from wood.
List three things you learned from this article in your own words.Termites make suger from wood, they have several bacteria in its body, and it east wood for food
What impact would the absence of this molecule have on the cell?The cell wouldnt get suger from the wood and termites wouldnt eat it.

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