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The process of photosynthesis is crucial to the survival of plants and
some single-celled organisms such as algae. Through this intricate
process, autotrophs like plants are able to take in light energy and
transform it into chemical energy.
In order for photosynthesis to occur, the plant or autotroph must
first have all of the required "ingredients," or reactants. The reactants
for photosynthesis are water, carbon dioxide, and light. Without each
of these reactants, photosynthesis cannot take place. Once all of the
reactants are available, the process of photosynthesis begins inside the
chloroplast, the organelle that carries out this process.
Through a series of detailed chemical reactions, the plant cell is
able to produce glucose and oxygen. Glucose is the chemical energy
that the plant needs to survive. It will be used in the process of cellular
respiration, where it will be transformed again into a different type of
chemical energy called ATP, which is used to power its cells.
Photosynthesis also produces oxygen. Oxygen is a waste product
that the plant does not need so it releases it out into the environment
through small openings on the underside of the leaf called "stomata."
The stomata are also responsible for taking in the carbon dioxide, which
we know is a critical reactant for photosynthesis.
Let's walk through the
process of photosynthesis
step-by-step. First, this process
begins when light energy is
absorbed by the chlorophyll,
the light-capturing pigment
present inside the thylakoids
within each chloroplast.
Reading Passage
Activity #2
