What is Photosynthesis Photosynthesis The process plants use

What is Photosynthesis? Photosynthesis – The process plants use to make food (glucose) from sunlight Glucose – Sugar that plants makes • Chemical Formula for Glucose: C 6 H 12 O 6 • Ring (circular) in shape

Chloroplast Structures Chloroplast – The structure in plant cells where photosynthesis happens • Made up of several parts: 1. Membranes - gives the chloroplast its boundary 2. Stroma – watery inside of the chloroplast 3. Thylakoid - Individual Coin 4. Granum – Stack of thylakoids

Chlorophyll – The green pigment in chloroplasts that absorbs sunlight and makes the plant look green • Green is reflected and all other colors are absorbed • The color that is reflected is the color the object appears • Ex. A red car reflects only red light, so we see it that color! • Leaves and stems have chloroplasts and chlorophyll and that’s why they look green Photosynthesis happens here! • Flower petals and tree trunks DO NOT have chloroplasts and chlorophyll and that’s why they don’t look green Photosynthesis does NOT happen here

Xylem & Phloem – Vascular System for plants that transports water and food around the plant; kind of like the circulatory system in animals • Xylem Brings water up from the roots to the plant • Phloem Transports glucose around the plant

Stomata & Guard Cells Stomata – Pores (holes) in leaf cells that can open and close to let gases in and out • Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) comes in • Oxygen Gas (O 2) goes out Guard Cells – The cells around the stomata that determine allow it to open and close • When they are swollen and large the stomata is open • When they are shriveled and small the stomata is closed

Photosynthesis Overview Photosynthesis needs three things: 1. Water (H 2 O) 2. Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) 3. Sunlight Photosynthesis produces two things: 1. Oxygen (O 2) 2. Glucose (C 6 H 12 O 6)

Photosynthesis Chemical Reaction Reactants Products

How Does Photosynthesis Get What it Needs? 1. Sunlight comes from the sun • The chlorophyll on the thylakoids absorb the light • This is why plants should always be placed near a light source, such as a window 2. Water comes from the ground • The water is drawn up by the roots into the plant and then xylem transports it around the plant 3. Carbon Dioxide comes from the air • The Guard Cells swell and open the Stomata, allowing carbon dioxide gas to enter

DOES ANYTHING ELSE MAKE ITS OWN FOOD USING PHOTOSYNTHESIS? ? YES!

Plants & Animals Work Together! Animals need oxygen to breathe and plants need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. This means that we give off as waste is a nutrient for plants and what plants give off as waste is a nutrient for animals!

Producers & Consumers Producer – An organism that can make its own food. • Since plants produce (or make) their own food they are Producers. Consumer – An organism that cannot make its own food and must eat. • Since animals consume (or eat) plants they are Consumers.