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Photosynthesis and Respiration

What is food?
Scientists define food as materials that contain ENERGY for living things. All living things must use food to grow and to keep all of their parts working properly. Living things can only get their energy from food. Without food, living things have no energy to function and would eventually die.

According to our definition, which of these things would be considered food?

Photosynthesis
Animals and humans eat food. Plants don't have mouths, and they cant move around to find food. Photosynthesis is how plants eat. It is the process plants use to produce their own food.

Remember, people and animals are heterotrophs. Plants are autotrophs.

Yes, some plants are carnivorous, but this is science fiction!

Photosynthesis
In order to make energy containing food, plants need three things:
1. Water 2. Sunlight 3. Carbon dioxide

Where do plants get these ingredients?

Sunlight is absorbed into the leaves. A green pigment called chlorophyll is located in certain cells in the leaves and is able to trap the suns energy in the leaf. Plants take in water from the soil. The water travels from roots up xylem tissues and eventually reaches cells in the leaves. Carbon dioxide gas enters the leaves through tiny holes called stomata. When all three of these ingredients are in the leaf cells, the plant can make food.

Photosynthesis
Photo means light. Synthesis means putting together. Photosynthesis is using light to put together carbon dioxide and water to make food. The energy from the sun is used to split apart water and carbon dioxide molecules. Then the pieces of the molecules are rearranged to make a totally new substance glucose.

Chemical Equation for Photosynthesis


In the process of photosynthesis, plants convert radiant energy from the sun into chemical energy in the form of glucose or sugar.

Importance of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis produces food. Photosynthetic organisms provide food directly or indirectly for nearly all the other organisms on Earth including you! Photosynthetic organisms use carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and adds oxygen to it. As much as 90% of the oxygen entering the atmosphere today is a result of photosynthesis. Our very existence depends on photosynthesis!

In this video, discover how plants feed us and themselves through photosynthesis.

Every cook needs ingredients to make a meal. Consider a simple sandwich: cheese, tomato, and all the ingredients that go into the bread: flour, water, salt and yeast. Oh, and dont forget the pickle. But if youre a plant, youll make your meal through photosynthesisand all youll need is a little light, water, and carbon dioxide. In this selfguided lesson you will:
Interpret diagrams that describe the process of photosynthesis Examine the ingredients and products of photosynthesis Identify producers and consumers in the food web

Respiration
Food contains energy, but it is not in a form that can be used by cells. Respiration is a series of chemical reactions that breaks down food molecules and releases energy. Respiration occurs in cells of most organisms... including plantsand YOU! In plants and many organisms that have one or more cells, a nucleus, and other organelles, respiration occurs in the mitochondria.

Chemical Equation for Respiration

Comparison of Photosynthesis and Respiration

As you can see, respiration is almost the reverse of photosynthesis.

Comparison of Photosynthesis and Respiration


What happens to the Energy? What are the Raw Materials? What are the End Products? Where does this process occur?

Photosynthesis

Respiration

Plant Responses

What Are Plant Responses?


A stimulus is anything in the environment that causes a response in an organism. The response often involves movement either toward the stimulus or away from the stimulus. A stimulus may come from outside (external) or inside (internal) the organism.

Internal Stimuli Are usually chemicals produced by organisms Many of these chemicals are hormonessubstances made in one part of an organism for use somewhere else in the organism.

External Stimuli Examples include touch, light, gravity, temperature, and darkness Responses of plants to external stimuli are called tropisms.

Plants in Motion
View these time-lapse videos from Indiana University to see the movement and growth of plants in their pursuit of light. Although plants have no choice about where they are rooted, they do respond to environmental cues in ways that enable them to survive.

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