PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Introduction

 Plants are living organisms and need food just as any living organism does.
 There are some differences between plants and other living organisms in regards
to finding food.
 Plants make their own food with water and mineral salts from the soil, carbon
dioxide from the air and light from the sun.

Photosynthesis

 Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants use the energy of light to
convert carbon dioxide and water into food.
 Photosynthesis takes place in the green leaves and the stems of plants.

Chlorophyll (In the green leaves)

 Chlorophyll is a green pigment used by plants to convert carbon dioxide and

water into glucose.
 It is found in the chloroplast of the green cells of plants.
 Chlorophyll can be thought of as a food factory, in the green leaves, where carbon
dioxide and water change to glucose in the presence of sunlight.
 It also gives the green colour to the leaves.

Factors required for the photosynthesis.

 Conditions of the environment affect how well plants grow.

 Plants need the right conditions to grow:
 Sufficient minerals and water from the soil
 Carbon dioxide from the air
 Sunlight
 The right temperature
Products of photosynthesis.

 Plants require carbon dioxide, water, sunlight and chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
 Plants produce glucose and oxygen as a result of photosynthesis.
 Green plants use light energy to make a sugar called glucose.
Glucose is the food of plants.
 Plants use some of the glucose for the energy they need.
 Plants convert the extra glucose into starch.
 The converted starch is carried around the plant in special tubes called phloem.
 The plant stores some of the sugar in its leaves, roots, and other structures.
 The stored sugar becomes food for other animals when they eat the plants.
 Oxygen is another product of photosynthesis.
 Oxygen produced in photosynthesis is given off as a gas.
Roles of photosynthesis in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

 Photosynthesis is the key process in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

 Photosynthesis is the most important process on Earth as it is responsible for all
food production.
 The valuable by-product of this reaction is glucose, which can be transformed into
other valuable food, such as proteins, by animals that feed on plants.
 A green plant produces the oxygen that animals and humans need for respiration.
 Photosynthesis helps to maintain a balanced ecosystem by ensuring that there is a
correct balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air.
 Humans cannot live more than four minutes without oxygen or forty days without
food.
 Photosynthesis generates oxygen and produces glucose, which is food for animals
and humans.

Information on locations and conditions according to their appropriateness to

photosynthesis.

1. The rain forest is the most appropriate place for photosynthesis. All the conditions
are ideal for photosynthesis.
2. The savanna is the second most appropriate place for photosynthesis.
3. The arctic region is the third most appropriate place for photosynthesis. The
temperature is too low and although there is plenty of water, it is not in a form the
plants can use.
4. A deep cave is the least appropriate place for photosynthesis. As there is no
available light in the deep caves the plants cannot photosynthesis.

How leaves adapt themselves for photosynthesis?

 Leaves would present a large surface area for maximum light-gathering ability.
 In deserts, plants have adaptations that reduce water loss from their leaves.

 Some of them have a waxy coating on the leaves, or have small leaves that
reduce the surface area exposed to the drying elements.
 In many cases, desert plants have no leaves at all.
 Photosynthesis, which normally occurs in green leaves, is carried out in
the stems, which are themselves green with the pigment chlorophyll.

 Plants have adaptations that enable them to shed water efficiently. The leaves of
many rainforest plants have drip tips for this purpose.
 Tropical rainforest plants also have adaptations to take in what little sunlight is
available on the dark forest floor. Large leaves are common; they increase the
amount of sunlight a plant can capture.
 Plant adaptation to water availability:
 Winter leaves

 Large
 Rapid photosynthesis
 High water use

 Summer leaves
 Small
 Slow photosynthesis
 Low water use