In simple terms, Photosynthesis is the process of using carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to create sugar.
Plants and other photosynthetic organisms are known as producers because they can produce carbohydrates for energy without consuming other organisms.
Photosynthesis requires the use of specialized cell structures known as chloroplasts to absorb the sun’s energy and transform the energy into chemical energy.
Facts About Photosynthesis
The green color of the leaves can be explained by chlorophyll.
The green-pigmented molecules reside in the chloroplasts in plant cells. They absorb visible light for Photosynthesis. Chlorophyll molecules absorb all wavelengths of light, excluding green, but they mostly absorb blue and red wavelengths. The plants appear green due to chlorophyll. Absorbs the different green wavelengths.
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The two major components of a chloroplast comprise the grana as well as the stroma.
Grana are disc-shaped compartments that are enclosed by a membrane. The discs are referred to as Thykaloids. They are the place where light-dependent reactions take place. The fluid that surrounds the grana is called the stroma. The light-dependent reactions occur within the stroma.
The photosynthesis process begins when it absorbs sun’s energy to reduce water molecules.
The photochemical reactions that depend on light harness energy and transfer it by splitting oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The electrons are moved across the chain of electrons, where they travel through several proteins before they are able to create the ATP which is the energy utilized to power the next step of Photosynthesis.
The second phase of Photosynthesis is known as the Calvin cycle.
Light-dependent reactions utilize the energy created in light-dependent reactions produce carbohydrates, in a process known as the Calvin cycle. The carbon molecules are added one each step. Energy is used to make sugar molecules with six carbons for the next cycle.
It requires six molecules of water and six carbon dioxide molecules to produce one molecule of glucose in Photosynthesis.
Additionally to one glucose molecular C6H12O6, the process of 6H2O + CO2 also produces six oxygen molecules which is known as 6O2. Oxygen is the waste product of Photosynthesis.
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The plant’s tissues are specialized to assist in Photosynthesis.
The water is absorbed through the roots and then transferred to the leaves via the specialized tissue known as xylem. Since a layer protects leaves to stop the drying process, carbon dioxide has to be able to enter through pores known as tomata. Oxygen is released from the plant via the stomata.
The Glucose molecules bind to create more complex molecules that are utilized by plants.
The glucose molecules that are formed in Photosynthesis are sugars that form the building blocks made up of starches and cellulose. Starches are used by plants to store energy, and the tissues which make up the plant’s structure are composed of cellulose.
Leaves change color during the autumn season because plants slow the process of Photosynthesis.
Plants have other pigments, apart from chlorophyll. When plants are preparing for winter in cold or warm climates, they produce less chlorophyll. Since there’s less chlorophyll to reflect light from the sun and reflect other colors, the colors of these pigments appear, and leaves appear to be brown red, orange, or yellow instead of green.
Many living things make use of Photosynthesis.
Certain bacteria, like protists and cyanobacteria like algae, also produce. Single-celled organisms are a source of chlorophyll and are usually found in water environments.
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The reverse of Photosynthesis is cell respiration.
The process of cellular respiration refers to the procedure that uses carbon dioxide stored within sugars. This reaction is the reflection of Photosynthesis. Glucose + oxygen produces carbon dioxide and water. As with all living creatures, plants can go through the process of cellular respiration to get the energy to reproduce and grow.
