Photosynthesis• Photosynthesis is a word in which photo

means light and synthesis means putting together

• The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a by-product.

Things Essential For Photosynthesis

• Carbon dioxide (A colorless, naturally occurring odorless gas found in the air we breathe. It has a scientific symbol CO2. CO2 is produced by burning carbon and organic compounds. It is also produced when plants and animals breathe out during respiration)

• Water• Light (Even though both natural and artificial light is OK for

plants, natural sunlight is usually great for photosynthesis because they have other natural UV properties that help the plant)

• Chlorophyll (This is the green pigment found in the leaves of plants)

• Nutrients and minerals (Chemicals and organic compounds which the plant roots absorb from the soil)

• Below are things that plants make by photosynthesis:1. Glucose 2. Oxygen

Stages of Photosynthesis• There are two stages of photosynthesis:

1) Light Dependent Stage2) Light Independent or Dark Stage

• In light-dependent reactions, the energy from sunlight is absorbed by chlorophyll and converted into chemical energy in the form of electron carrier molecules like ATP and NADPH

• In light-independent reactions, (the Calvin cycle), carbohydrate molecules are assembled from carbon dioxide using the chemical energy harvested during the light-dependent reactions.

Factors Affecting Photosynthesis

• The three main things affecting the rate of photosynthesis are:

• Light• Temperature• Carbon dioxide• These three factors are called LIMITING FACTORS

Importance of Photosynthesis• In a nutshell, the process of photosynthesis benefits us in

the following ways:

1. Photosynthesis converts inorganic raw materials into food, that provides our ecosystem with energy.

2. Green plants provide organic food to all the animals and humans.

.

3. Rare fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas are formed through the degradation of the past plant and animal parts, which were originally formed by photosynthesis.

4. Plant products like timber, rubber, herbs, medicines resin and oils are derived from photosynthesis.

5. Photosynthesis helps in providing oxygen in the atmosphere required by all living organisms.

6. Photosynthesis decreases the concentration of carbon dioxide and other harmful industrial wastes that lead to respiration problems in living beings.