The figure above shows how the activities of two enzymes X and Y vary with
temperature.
(a) Which enzyme would be best suited to an organism that experiences large
changes in external temperature throughout a 24-hr period? Explain your answer. [2]
(b) State two other factors that influence enzyme activity and explain how each
factor affects the rate of enzyme activity. [4]
And the answers are as follows......
(a) Enzyme Y;
This is because enzyme Y is active over a wider range of temperatures compared to enzyme X.
(b)
1) pH
- When pH is above or below an enzyme's optimum pH, the enzyme becomes denatured and loses its active site and its function.
2) Substrate concentration
- As substrate concentration increases up to a maximum,more active sites could be occupied per unit time, hence more products are formed per unit time, which leads to an increase in enzyme activity.
