Compensation Point
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compensation point
[‚käm·pən′sā·shən ‚pȯint] (botany)
The light intensity at which the amount of carbon dioxide released in respiration equals the amount used in photosynthesis, and the amount of oxygen released in photosynthesis equals the amount used in respiration.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Compensation Point
in plants, a physiological indicator of the light intensity at which a leafs absorption of CO2 during photosynthesis balances its production of CO2 during respiration. The compensation point of sciophilous plants is significantly lower than that of photophilic plants. Sometimes the term “compensation point” refers to the combination of the general conditions of light and temperature as a result of which the plant’s formation and consumption of organic matter are balanced over a 24-hour period.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.