Photosynthesis | Photosynthesis in plants | Photosynthesis - Biology basics for children | Science | elearnin Photosynthesis Hello Kids .... Do you know how plants make their own food? No?? This video elaborates the process of Photosynthesis, by which plants make their own food. Photosynthesis is the process used by the plants to make their food. In simpler terms, conversion of light energy into chemical energy by plants is called photosynthesis. This chemical energy is used by the plants for growth and nourishment. Photo means light and synthesis means putting together. Humans need some essential things like fire, water, vegetables etc to cook food. Similarly, to make their own food, plants also need some essential factors like Light, water, nutrients, soil etc Plants get light from the sun, water from the ground and carbon dioxide from air. All these factors including air, water, carbondioxide and sunlight together help plants churn out their own food. Plants have tubes called Xylem located in the stem through which the water from the ground is sucked into the leaves. This system works similar to the humans sucking in liquids through a straw. The Xylem is spread throughout the different parts of plant including stem, branches, all the way upto their leaves, and transports vital nutrients to the entire plant. Xylems in plants are like blood vessels in the human body that act as an important means of transport for water and nutrients. Leaves on the plants have pores, very similar to pores on the skin of our body. These pores are called stomata. These stomata are responsible for the exchange of gases. The carbon dioxide present in the air, which is responsible for photosynthesis, enters the plant through these stomata. Oxygen also comes out from the same stomata. Leaf has important cells called Mesophyll cells. These cells contain a green color component called chloroplast. This chloroplast is responsible for the green color of plants and leaves. Once the carbon dioxide and water reach the chloroplasts, in the presence of sunlight, the process of photosynthesis starts to take place. The following reaction takes places in the leaves of the plant during photosynthesis: Carbon dioxide + water + [in the presence of light energy] → Oxygen + glucose (or Carbohydrates) The products formed are glucose and oxygen. Carbohydrates, which are a form of glucose, are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water. Glucose is used by the plants for the growth. Some of the glucose is used immediately and the extra glucose which is not used is stored in the form of starch, in the leaves. Some amount of glucose is also stored in the roots of the plants. The extra glucose is used to perform photosynthesis when there is no sunlight. Oxygen is given out into the air through the stomata in the process of photosynthesis. The oxygen that is released is used by human beings to breathe in during their respiration process. Ever wondered why this process is called photosynthesis? The word photosynthesis is a combination of two words: Photo and Synthesis. Photo means light in Greek and Synthesis means putting together or combining. Hence, photosynthesis literally means combining water and carbon dioxide in the presence of light. So, the essential factors for photosynthesis to take place include: • Sunlight • Water • Carbon dioxide Underwater photosynthesis takes place at a slower pace than the normal photosynthesis. This is because energy from the sun is absorbed by the water layers and only some amount of the energy reaches the plant. There are some plants which don't need the process of photosynthesis to grow. Such plants include Mushroom, Venus flytrap etc. Mushroom gets the food from the ground and its surrounding areas. Venus flytrap traps and catches small insects which come near the leaves and eat them.

• published: 19 Aug 2013
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