Products of photosynthesis

Do now activity:

1. What are the limiting factors of

photosynthesis?

2. Explain the effect that an increase

in temperature can have on the rate
of photosynthesis.

3. Describe a simple experiment that

can be conducted to investigate the
effect of light intensity on the rate
of photosynthesis.
 Progress indicators
GOOD PROGRESS:
State the products made by the plant using
glucose from photosynthesis

OUTSTANDING PROGRESS:
Describe some of the important roles these
products play within the plant
Products of Photosynthesis
Just like us a plant needs food for two
reasons:

• For energy

• For building it’s structure

Task: You’ve been sent a worksheet with some levelled
questions.

Make sure you write in full sentences and use as many key
words as possible!

Extension: Create an exam style

question and mark scheme that Key Words:
you could give to a peer Photosynthesis Respiration
Glucose Sugar
Oxygen Oils
Carbon Energy
Nitrogen Structure
Hydrogen Protein
Starch Cellulose
Fats
 Products of Photosynthesis
1. When a plant cell needs energy it breaks down some of the glucose it
3
makes during photosynthesis during which process? When does this
process occur and how does this differ to photosynthesis?

2. Plants convert some sugar into other substances such as starch, fats &
oils, proteins and cellulose. Complete the table to show the roles they play
in the plant:
Energy Storage Building New Cells

The energy for photosynthesis comes from _______. The energy is

4
absorbed by the green pigment called _____________. This is
found in structures in the cells called _____________.

The main product of photosynthesis is a __________ called

___________. Some is used for _____________, to release energy.
Some is converted into large molecules the plant needs, such as
______________, ___________ and ______________.

3. Which three elements are combined in a glucose molecule and which

other element is needed in order to change the glucose into proteins?
4. Sketch a diagram to show the difference between a healthy plant which
has received nitrate ions and an unhealthy plant without nitrates:

Healthy plant Unhealthy plant without nitrates

4. Explain why the plant that is short of nitrate ions has not been able to
grow tall?

5. Explain why plants store energy in the form of starch, rather than as
5/6
glucose?

6. Discuss the advantages and one disadvantages of storing energy as

starch rather than as fats and oils.

7+

+ -

?
Self-assessment:

The process which breaks down glucose is called respiration, this process
happens throughout the day and the night. Whereas photosynthesis only occurs
in the day.

Proteins – needed for making new cell

Fats & Oils membranes, cytoplasm and enzymes

Cellulose – needed for making cell walls

Starch
Healthy potato plant Unhealthy potato plant
If a plant does not absorb sufficient amounts of nitrate ions it is
unable to synthesis enough protein. If the plant does not have
enough protein it will be unable to make new cell membranes,
cytoplasm and enzymes which will slow down it’s growth.

Plants store energy in the form of starch, instead of glucose,

because starch is insoluble. This means that starch will not effect
the water concentration inside cells and also it will not move
away from the storage areas within the plant.
An advantage of storing energy as starch, rather than fats and
oils, is that it is easily stored by cells and is also easy to access.
Starch is a quick molecule to break down to access the glucose
needed for energy release.

A disadvantage of using starch is that not as much energy can be

stored per gram in comparison to fats & oils. For lightweight
energy storage options, which plants often utilise in seeds, fats
and oils are a good choice.

A positive comment A negative comment

A question to further test their knowledge on the

topic
Carnivorous plants
Carnivorous plants such as
Venus flytraps or pitcher
plants live in nitrate-poor soils.

How do they obtain the nutrients they need to survive?

Plants will trap animals, release enzymes to digest

the animals and then absorb the nitrates and other
minerals they need from the animals body.
Iodine is a chemical that turns black when it
detects starch.
What would you expect to see if you tested
different areas of these leaves for starch?
Investigate - Testing for starch
Iodine solution is used to test leaves for the presence of starch. You
need to:

1. Heat a plant leaf in boiling water for 30 seconds

2. Heat it in boiling ethanol for a few minutes

3. Wash with water and spread onto a white tile

4. Add iodine solution from a dropping pipette

After a few minutes observe the leaf, the parts of the leaf that
contain starch turn blue-black.
Exam-style question:
1. Green plants can make glucose, plants need energy to
make this glucose. How do plants access this energy?

(2 marks)

2. Plants can use the glucose they have made to supply

them with energy. Give four other ways in which plants
use the glucose they have made.

(4 marks)
Self-assessment:
a) Light is trapped / absorbed / used

By chlorophyll / chloroplasts (2)

b) In order to make starch for storage

to make fats/oils for storage

to make amino acids / protein

to make cellulose / cell walls (4)

Plenary – Silent 5

1. What are the products of photosynthesis? (2

marks)

2. Glucose can be stored as starch in plants. What

are some of the other uses of glucose in the
plant? (4 marks)

3. Explain the effect temperature can have on the

rate of photosynthesis within a plant (3 marks)
Respiration

Both animals and plants respire, plants carry out respiration as well.
Plants respire all the time because their cells need energy to stay
alive, but plants can only photosynthesise when they are in light
and so only photosynthesise in the day.

Making new substances

Glucose is a carbohydrate, plants can make different types of

substances from the glucose they make during photosynthesis.

This includes:

Cellulose – another carbohydrate which is used to make cell walls

Starch – also a carbohydrate good for storing energy

Fats & oils – not a carbohydrate, also goo energy stores

Proteins – not a carbohydrate, needed to build new cell

membranes, cytoplasm and enzymes.

Protein Cellulose

Glucose

Starch Fats/oils
Mineral Salts
Glucose is made up from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
Plants make other substances from glucose. Fats & oils are also
made up on carbon, hydrogen & oxygen. But proteins are made
up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.

Plants obtain nitrogen in the form of mineral ions, known as

nitrates. Even though 80% of the air is made up of nitrogen it is
very unreactive so is never incorporated into the plant via the air.

The plants obtain nitrates from the soil, they absorb these mineral
ions through their roots.

Healthy potato plant Unhealthy potato plant

Using glucose

Glucose is made in photosynthesis and is transported around the plant

as soluble sugar in the phloem. Much of the glucose is used in
respiration and released as energy. However, glucose can also be
converted into insoluble storage molecules – starch, fats & oils.

The advantage of insoluble substances such as these are:

They do not affect the water concentration inside cells
They do not move away from the storage areas in the plant

Glucose and starch can be converted into other substances in plants. For
example:
Cellulose for cell walls
Proteins for growth and repair

Starch polymer made up of glucose monomers

Choosing the storage product

Plants have choices when it comes to storing energy. Most plants store
energy as starch. Starch is a polymer made up of many glucose
monomers joined together in a chain. Starch is insoluble, it forms
grains inside the cell to keep itself separate.

Fats and oils are better molecules for storing energy in many ways. This
is because they can store more energy per gram.

The downside to fats & oils is that it is more difficult to break them
down. Many seeds tend to have energy stored as oils, so it has a lighter
weight to be carried away from the parent plant to grow.