Oil is a major energy-storage molecule in most seeds. During seed development in some plants, oil (triacylglycerols) is synthesized using acetyl-CoA derived from sucrose. The developing seed also contains RuBP carboxylase, although the Calvin cycle is not active.
(a) How does the carboxylase maximize the efficiency of converting starch into oil?
(b) The seeds that contain RuBP carboxylase are green, suggesting that they harvest some light energy. Explain why some energy collection would be useful in the developing seed.