Comparison between photosynthesis and respiration

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Comparison between photosynthesis and respiration

Photosynthesis and respiration are both processes that are necessary for the survival of organisms. However, in many ways these two processes are very different as they are responsible for contrasting necessities. Therefore they have both similarities and differences.

One major difference between the two is that photosynthesis occurs wholly in plants while respiration occurs in both plants and animals. This is because plants are autotrophic so have to produce their own food while animals are heterotrophic as they obtain food by consuming it in the form of other animals or plants. Plants produce their own food via photosynthesis and as animals do not need to produce their own food they have no need for photosynthesis. Both plants and animals require respiration because it is the process in which food is converted into energy in the form of ATP, which is used for many processes within all organisms.

Photosynthesis begins when a pigment molecule within a photosystem absorbs light energy which is then passed from one pigment molecule to another until a high energy electron is emitted which is used to reduce NADP. Therefore it appears that the process of photosynthesis begins with