What+is+photosynthesis?+Part+2

Submitted by: Rory H Last updated: 9/29/11
 * Photosynthesis - what is it?**

Chlorophyll, pigments and other proteins are needed to create photosynthesis chlorophyll molecules are organized in groups of 250 and 400 pigment atoms/molecules. The groups are called a photosystem; the 2 photosystems work together to make stored energy. Only one special chlorophyll molecule can use light energy to produce photochemical reactions. Photo chemical reactions are the special chlorophyll molecule reactions.



All things need energy it doesn’t matter how they get it though, we all use the suns energy. Plants use co2 gas and water along with solar energy to make sugar. The sugar is used for energy. When sugar is combined with materials from the soil it is a building material. Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants make their food. Chlorophyll is the the part of the plant that makes it green, it is in the plants leaves and stems. Chlorophyll helps make the sugar in the plants (helps chemical reaction).

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is a catalyst, this means it helps chemical reactions but it stays the same in the process. When sun light hits the chlorophyll molecules light energy is stored as chemical energy in "packets", the plant then uses the packets for more chemical reactions like making sugar. Once the plant has sugar it can do even more reactions like making starches proteins fats and cellulose (part of a plant that gives it strength and reinforcement).



Ocean bottom Food without sunlight, A few years ago scientist found life forms on the very bottom of the ocean and they were thriving too, the creatures were really strange. Most of them will light up on the bottom like the jelly fish. They use photo synthesis without light how do they do it? The creatures that make all their own food underwater and are called chemosynthesis. The creatures store energy in a certain compound and convert co2 to biochemical used for all the plant’s needs. These creatures stay around hot springs and / or cracks in the ocean because it is rich in minerals such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper and nickel. Bioluminescent creatures make their own light like the jelly up top. Some of the fish use these lights to blend in they use the lights like the little light reflections on the top of the sea. (Fun fact, The reason there aren’t as many chemosynthesis’s is that oxygen is a poison to them so technically plants are polluting the air for them).

Plants and where they live Some plants live in the desert and others live under the ice in Antarctica. Plants are very diverse organisms out of all other creatures in the world. Some mosses/tussock grasses also grow in Antarctica and other cold places but they couldn’t grow in Brazil and the plants in Brazil couldn’t survive in Antarctica.

Where does oxygen come from? Plants make oxygen from co2+h2o=c6h12o6+o2+h2o. For plants oxygen is a side product; however we need oxygen to survive and live healthy. If we didn’t have oxygen we will die and the plants would die, also if the plants died we would die of lack of oxygen because we polluted the world and then we polluted our own world.

Fun facts When you eat a carrot you are also eating a part of someone else’s matter! The oxygen you are breathing now could have been breathed by dinosaurs! To us light energy causes aging of the skin and possibly cancer Little tubes in plants move all the water and minerals to the plants leaves A simple sugar makes up most plant life
 * Glossary**
 * Chlorophyll**- the green coloring in the plants leaves and stems.
 * Pigments**- the colors.
 * Atoms**- the second smallest building block that we know of and are also made of quarks.


 * Catalyst-** something that changes a reaction but stays the same in the process
 * Chemosynthesis-** a process like photosynthesis except with no light and with chemicals

Silverstein, Alvin and Virginia Silverstein and Laura Silverstein Nunn //photosynthesis// //revised edition// 2008.print Copyright © 2011 Discovery Education. All rights reserved. Discovery Education is a subsidiary of Discovery Communications, LLC. Silverstein, Alvin and Virginia Silverstein and Laura Silverstein //Nunn photosynthesis// 1998.print. Photosynthesis //encyclopedia Britannica online// encyclopedia Britannica web 9/18/11
 * Citations**