9 Science

Quarter 1 - Module 7
Photosynthesis
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 Photosynthesis
What is It

Ecosystem: Life Energy

Plant Structure for Photosynthesis
Plants are great food providers. Using this module, you will understand how plants
provide food and help to make the flow of energy in the ecosystem possible. You will
understand how each plant structure helps in the process of food making, as well as the
factors that may affect the rate of food production done by plants.
Photosynthesis is a process of food making done by plants and other autotrophic
organisms. The presence of chlorophyll enables these organisms to make their own food.
Autotrophic organisms require light energy, carbon dioxide (CO 2), and water (H2O) to make
food (sugar).
In plants, photosynthesis mainly takes place in the leaves and little or none in stems,
depending on the presence of chlorophyll. The typical parts of the leaves are the following:
A. Upper Epidermis and Lower Epidermis
The upper epidermis is the upper layer in the leaf which consists of a single layer of
cells covered by cuticle. Sometimes it contains pores which allow gas or water molecule to
pass and it has no chloroplasts.
The lower epidermis is the lower external layer of cells in the leaf. It is located below
the spongy mesophyll .
The upper and lower epidermis protects the leaves and has nothing to do with
photosynthetic processes.
B. Mesophyll
The mesophyll is a type of ground tissue found in the plant's leaves. The mesophyll
has the most number of chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll. The most important role of
the mesophyll is in photosynthesis. It has large spaces within the leaf that allow carbon
dioxide to move freely. There are two types of mesophyll: Palisade mesophyll and spongy
mesophyll.
1. Palisade mesophyll
The palisade mesophyll are tightly packed upper layer of chloroplast containing
cells. They are vertically elongated, a different shape from the spongy mesophyll cells
beneath them. The chloroplasts in these cells absorb a major portion of the light
energy used by the leaf.
2. Spongy mesophyll
The spongy mesophyll are the lower layer of chloroplast containing cells be
neath the palisade mesophyll. They are irregularly shaped cells that have many inter
cellular spaces that allow the passage of gases.

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C. Vascular bundles
The vascular bundles or also called xylem and phloem, serve as transporting
vessels of manufactured food and water.
Xylem carries water & minerals throughout plant while phloem carries dissolved
sugars and organic compounds throughout plant.
D. Stomata
Carbon dioxide and oxygen are collected in the spongy layer and enter and exit
the leaf through stomata.
E. Guard Cells
The guard cells are two cells surrounding stomata that control the rate of gas and
water exchange.
F. Cuticle
The cuticle is a waxy layer water proofing upper leaves. It serves as a protecting
film covering the epidermis of leaves.
G. Bundle Sheath
The bundle sheath is a layer or region of compactly arranged cells surrounding
a vascular bundle in a plant. It regulates the movement of substances between the
vascular tissue and the parenchyma and, in leaves, protect the vascular tissue from
exposure to air.

Cuticle

Upper epidermis

Palisade mesophyll
Mesophyll
Vascular bundle

Lower epidermis

Stomata

Guard Cells

Bundle sheath Spongy mesophyll

Figure 1: Cross-section of internal structure of leaf

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 The parts of a chloroplast include the outer and inner membranes, intermembrane
space, stroma and thylakoids stacked in grana. The chlorophyll is built into the membranes
of the thylakoids. Chlorophyll absorbs white light, but it looks green because white light
consists of three primary color: red, blue and green. Only red and blue light are absorbed,
thus making these colors unavailable to our eyes while the green light is reflected which
makes the chlorophyll looks green. However, it is the energy from red and blue light that is
absorbed will be used in photosynthesis. The green light that we can see is not absorbed
by the plant and thus, cannot be used to do photosynthesis.

Outer membrane
Stroma

Inner membrane
Granum

Thylakoids

Two stages of photosynthesis:

A. Light-dependent reaction
Figure 2: Cross-section of internal structure of chloroplast
The light dependent reaction happens in the presence of light. It occurs in thylakoid
membrane and converts light energy to chemical energy. Water is one of the raw materials
of photosynthesis. It is utilized during this stage and facilitates the formation of free
electrons and oxygen. The energy harvested during this stage is stored in the form of ATP
(Adenosine Triphosphate) and NADPH. These products will be needed by the next stage to
complete the photosynthetic process.

B. Calvin Cycle (dark reaction)

It is a light-independent phase that takes place in the stroma and converts carbon
dioxide (CO2) into sugar. This stage does not directly need light but needs the product soft
light reaction, thus it occurs immediately after the light-dependent phase.

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 Plants have green pigments called chlorophyll. This pigment aids in capturing light
energy from the sun that enables plants to change it into chemical energy stored in the
food. This process is called photosynthesis. The chemical equation for photosynthesis may
be summarized as follows:

Chlorophyll
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) + Water (H2O) Glucose (C6H12o6) + Oxygen (O2)
Sunlight

Photosynthesis significantly help farmers for better production, distribution and

utilization also it makes possible the continuous food supply on Earth and the cycle in the
nature on the process.

The Leaf Stomata

Stomata plays an important role in the process of photosynthesis. They are the tiny
openings or pores in plant tissues that allow gas exchange, also it allow a plant to take in
carbon dioxide, which is needed for photosynthesis.

Stomata

Figure 3: Stomata seen under the microscope

Stomata are mostly found on the lower surface of the leaf of land plants. They consist
of two specialized cells, called guard cells. Their main function is to allow gases such as
carbon dioxide, water vapor, and oxygen to move rapidly into and out of the leaf.

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 What’s More

Independent Activity 1
Direction: Choose your answer from the box that best describe the sentence.

Photosynthesis Mesophyll Vascular bundles Stomata Upper and Lower

Epidermis

1. It is a process of food making done by plants and other autotrophic organisms.

2. It serve as transporting vessels of manufactured food and water.
3. It protects the leaves and has nothing to do with photosynthetic processes.
4. It has the most number of chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll.
5. They are the tiny openings or pores in plant tissues that allow gas exchange, also it
allows a plant to take in carbon dioxide.

Independent Assessment 1
Directions: Identify the stages of photosynthesis. Write LDR if the statement is
light- dependent reaction and write CC if calvin cycle.
1. It happens in the presence of light.
2. This stage does not directly need light but needs the product soft light reaction.
3. The energy harvested during this stage is stored in the form of ATP and NADPH.
4. It occurs in thylakoid membrane and converts light energy to chemical energy.
5. It takes place in the stroma and converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugar.

Independent Activity 2
Directions: Read the following statements about photosynthesis. Write TRUE if the
statement is correct, if incorrect, change the underlined word/words to make the
statement correct.
1. The presence of chloroplast enables these organisms to make their own food.
2. The vascular bundles or also called phloem and xylem, serve as transporting vessels
of manufactured food and water.
3. Mesophyll are mostly found on the lower surface of the leaf of land plants.
4. Photosynthesis is a process of food making done by plants and other autotrophic
organisms.
5. The parts of a chlorophyll include the outer and inner membranes, intermembrane
space, stroma and thylakoids stacked in grana.

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Independent Assessment 2
Directions: Complete the word equation for photosynthesis. Choose your answer from the
table below.

3.

1. Carbon 2. 5. 6.
Dioxide

4.

GLUCOSE OXYGEN SUNLIGHT

WATER CHLOROPHYLL

Independent Activity 3
Direction: Label the parts of the internal structure of the leaf.

1.

2.

4.
3.

6.

8.

5.

7.

10. 9.

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Independent Assessment 3
Directions: Write the raw materials and end products of photosynthesis by analyzing the
illustration below.

ENERGY

OXYGEN is released

CHLOROPHYLL
CARBON
DIOXIDE GLUCOSE is
formed

WATER

Raw materials Products

1. 1.

2. 2.

3.

4.

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 What I Have Learned

After answering different activities, you now understand the process of photosynthesis.
Complete the paragraph with what you have learned about photosynthesis.

I learned that Photosynthesis is _______________________________________.

_________________________. In plants, photosynthesis mainly takes place in the
leaves, the typical parts of the leaves are the following: ______________________
_________________________________________________________________.
The two stages of photosynthesis are _________________________________
and _____________________________________________________________.

What I Can Do

Are you excited to know more about photosynthesis? This time you will conduct
investigations that will show evidences that plants are really capable of making food.
Activity: Evidence of Photosynthesis
To show that oxygen is produced by photosynthesis
Materials: glass, water and santan leaf
Procedure:
1. Place a fresh santan leaf inside a glass. Add water to the glass to cover the leaf .
2. Leave the set-up for about 10 to 15 minutes at a room temperature (29˚C).
3. Observe the set-up.
Answer the following questions:
Q1. What did you see on the santan leaf ?
Q2. Did you see any bubbles in the set-up?
Q3. What do these bubbles indicate?

BE CAREFUL IN HANDLING GLASS

TAKE
AND AVOID SPILLAGE OF WATER.
CARE

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