Hi. I am so glad you're here. Welcome to Miss
A's seventh grade science class. Today we
are going to talk a little bit about photosynthesis
and how energy is transferred from one organism
to the next. Stay tuned!
The word photosynthesis can be separated into
two smaller words. Photo means light. Synthesis
means putting things together which is exactly
what happens in the process we are about to
explore.
Photosynthesis is the process of plants making
their own food.
To make food plants need not just one but
all of the following: Sunlight, Carbon dioxide,
and water. Carbon dioxide is what we breath
out. The plant then rearranges these three
components and makes glucose which is food
and oxygen which we need to breath. Plants
are sometimes referred to as producers because
they are able to make their own food. While
on the other hand animals are sometimes referred
to as consumers because they have to eat food
in order to get energy. We humans are consumers.
We eat other animals and plants. Lets take
a look at how the three components are collected
by plants. Carbon dioxide from the air passes
through small holes in the leaves. These pores
are called stomata. Water is absorbed by the
roots and passes through vessels in the stem
on its way to the leaves. Sunlight is absorbed
by a green chemical in the leaves.
The energy from the sun is used in the leaves
of the plant to rearrange carbon dioxide and
water in order to synthesize glucose and oxygen
for the plant.
Some of the glucose that plants produce are
stored in fruit and vegetables which we as
humans eat to get energy for ourselves. So you see its a whole big cycle.
Thanks for watching. And that is how a plant makes its own food.
