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Plant Biology
What is the process by which plants use sunlight to make their own food ?
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Photosynthesis is the incredible way that plants make their own food using sunlight. Just like we need food to survive and grow, plants need food too.
Plants have special parts called leaves that contain tiny factories called chloroplasts. These chloroplasts have a green pigment called chlorophyll, which gives plants their green color. It is this chlorophyll that captures energy from sunlight.
When sunlight shines on a plant’s leaves, the chlorophyll in the chloroplasts absorbs the energy from the sunlight. This captured energy is used as fuel for the next part of the process.
Plants also take in a gas called carbon dioxide from the air. Plants breathe in carbon dioxide. They get it from tiny holes in their leaves called stomata.
Now, inside the chloroplasts, the captured sunlight energy combines with the carbon dioxide. This triggers a chemical reaction called photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, the plant uses the energy from the sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into a kind of sugar called glucose.
But photosynthesis doesn’t stop there. As a byproduct of making food, plants also release a gas called oxygen.
The glucose that plants produce is used in many ways. Some of it is stored as food for later, while some is used right away to help the plant grow and stay healthy. It’s like the plant’s energy bank account.
In summary, photosynthesis is the way plants use sunlight, chlorophyll, and carbon dioxide to make their own food. It’s an amazing process that helps plants grow and provides us with the oxygen we need to live.
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