SUMMARY NOTES

NAME: _______________________________________ GRADE: 8

DATE: ________________ SUBJECT: Biology

Lesson –Why Do We Need Plant (Nutrition)

Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis: the fundamental process by which plants manufacture carbohydrates
from raw materials using energy from light.
Carbon dioxide + water → (light + chlorophyll) → glucose + oxygen

6CO2 + 6H2O → (light + chlorophyll) → C6H12O6 + 6O2

The carbon dioxide diffuses through the open stomata of the leaf of a plant. Water is taken
up through the roots.
Chlorophyll is a dye, which traps light energy and converts it into chemical energy for the
formation of carbohydrates and their subsequent storage.

STRUCTURE OF LEAF
1. The cuticle is a waxy non-living layer that prevents water loss from the top of
the leaf.
2. The upper epidermis is a thin layer of cells that protect the cells below.
3. The palisade mesophyll cells are column-shaped and full of chloroplasts for
photosynthesis. They are close to the top of the leaf so they get a lot of light.
4. The spongy mesophyll cells are irregularly shaped to create air spaces to allow
gases to diffuse and have many chloroplasts (fewer than the palisade mesophyll).
They are lower so they get less light.
5. The lower epidermis is on the bottom of the leaf.
6. The bottom of the leaf also contains stomata (little holes) that can open and
close for gas exchange (mostly, to let in CO2 and let out O2). The stomata can
close to prevent water loss, and open to let gases come in and out. When guard
cells LOSE water, the stoma CLOSE (at night), while the stoma OPEN when guard
cells gain water & swell (during the day).

The vascular bundle or vein is made of two vessels:

Xylem vessel: is a unidirectional vessel which transports water and dissolved
minerals. Its walls are made out of waterproof lignin.
Water is absorbed from the soil by root hair cells through osmosis. Water moves
up the plant due to evaporation at the leaves, where water is lost to the
environment. This is called transpiration. The movement of water up the plant is
called the transpiration stream.