Sunlight's Impact on Energy and Carbon Cycling in Lily's Sealed Aquarium

Lily has an aquarium with water, plants, and fish that eat the plants. the aquarium is sealed so no material can get in or out, and has glass sides that allow light to come in. The aquarium can also be covered to prevent light from entering. the number of energy storage molecules in the plants and fish started out low, but that number has been increasing over time. 

Question 1: Has the aquarium been in sunlight or has it been covered during this time? 

Question 2: What has happened to the carbon in the water?

Here are the possible answers and explanations to questions 1 and 2:

Question 1: Based on the information provided, the aquarium has been in sunlight during this time.

Explanation: The presence of plants and their ability to photosynthesize indicates that the aquarium has been exposed to sunlight. 

Plants require sunlight to carry out photosynthesis, a process through which they convert light energy into chemical energy stored in molecules such as glucose. 

The increase in energy storage molecules in both the plants and the fish suggests that photosynthesis has been occurring, which requires light.

If the aquarium had been covered to prevent light from entering, the plants would not have been able to carry out photosynthesis, resulting in a lack of energy storage molecules.

Question 2: The carbon in the water has been taken up by the plants through photosynthesis.

Explanation: During photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide (CO2) from the surrounding environment, including the water in the aquarium, to synthesize organic molecules. 

In this case, the plants in the aquarium have been increasing their energy storage molecules, indicating that they have been actively taking up carbon from the water and incorporating it into their structures. 

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the key components required for photosynthesis, and plants utilize it along with water and light to produce glucose and other organic compounds. 

Therefore, as the plants in the aquarium have been increasing their energy storage, it implies that the carbon in the water has been absorbed and utilized by the plants through the process of photosynthesis.