The Breath of Life

Think about where the O2 you inhale comes from and where the CO2 you exhale goes. The exchange of
gases doesn't only take place in the cells in your body. Actually, gas exchange is taking place all
around you. In fact, oxygen and carbon dioxide are involved in the most important relationship that
exists between plants and animals.
Do you know where the oxygen your body needs comes from? Almost all the oxygen you breathe
comes from green plants. They produce oxygen during a process called photosynthesis. During
photosynthesis green plants manufacture the sugar molecules fructose and glucose. Green plants use
energy from sunlight to build sugar molecules from carbon dioxide and water. Oxygen is produced
when the plant combines the carbon dioxide and the water by using the Sun's energy. Plants use the
sugar they produce to make plant structure and to provide the energy they need to live. Green plants
use some of the oxygen they produce for their own life processes. But they release most of the
oxygen produced during photosynthesis into the air as a waste product. carbon dioxide into the air as
a waste product. Plants help animals and animals help plants.