How Plants Produce Food

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How plants produce food

Photosynthesis

Plants use the process of photosynthesis to make food.

In this process sunlight energy is absorbed by chlorophyll (a green pigment) contained in chloroplasts. (Which give plants their green colour.) This energy is then used to convert carbon dioxide (from the atmosphere) and water (from the soil) to produce oxygen and glucose.

Glucose can be used for energy, converted to starch and stored or used to construct structural material such as cellulose in cell walls.

Oxygen is a waste gas and is given off through the stomata ( pores in the underside of the leaves.)

Water vapour is also lost through the stomata.

Carbon dioxide enters the leaf through the stomata.

Carbon dioxide + water Glucose + Oxygen

Leaves

These are adapted to do their job in a number of ways-

1. Broad to give a large surface area for absorbing sunlight

2. Flat and thin with air spaces between cells to allow gases to circulate between cells easily

3. They contain large numbers of chloroplasts to trap sunlight energy

4. They have networks of veins to allow water to reach