Uses of Glucose in Plants

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Photosynthesis review

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How is glucose used?

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What are minerals used for?
Plants combine glucose with mineral ions absorbed from
the soil. Plants use the resulting products for growth and to
build new cells.
Different minerals combine with glucose in different ways.
How are these four key mineral ions used by plants?

Mineral element How mineral is used in plants

nitrogen (N) making proteins for growth
phosphorus (P) respiration and making roots
potassium (K) respiration and photosynthesis
magnesium (Mg) making chlorophyll

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Starch
Some of the glucose created in photosynthesis is stored in
the plant as insoluble starch.

Glucose must be converted to starch for long-term storage

because starch cannot dissolve in water. If it did, it would
affect water concentration levels and diffuse out of the cell.

The presence of starch in a leaf can

be used to show that photosynthesis
has taken place.

Iodine is used to test for starch.

It reacts with starch and changes
colour from brown to blue-black.

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Testing leaves for starch – activity

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Which mineral?

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Respiration
Respiration is the process of converting glucose into energy.
It requires oxygen and glucose and produces carbon dioxide
and water.

Like animals, plants must respire constantly to survive. In

contrast, photosynthesis can only take place in the
presence of light energy.

During the day, the rate of photosynthesis

is higher than the rate of respiration, so the
plant absorbs more carbon dioxide than it
produces, and produces more oxygen than
it absorbs. At night, photosynthesis
ceases, and the opposite is true.

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Glossary

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Multiple-choice quiz

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