All life on earth depends on photosynthesis, either directly or, as in the case of animals, indirectly.

Photosynthesis makes both carbon and energy available to living organisms and produces the
oxygen in the atmosphere which is vital for all aerobic forms of life. During photosynthesis plants
take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen as a by-product. Green plants are called producers
because they produce all their own food from the raw materials around them via photosynthesis.
Animals and humans on the other hand are consumers and all the food they eat comes directly or
indirectly from plants. Thus photosynthesis is the ultimate source of almost all of our food.

Sugar is made during photosynthesis from carbon dioxide and water. The energy for the reaction
comes from light and is stored within sugar which is an energy-rich molecule. The overall equation
for this reaction is: 6CO2 + 6H20 ------> C6H1206 + 6O2. The xylem tissues of roots, stems and leaf
vascular bundles bring water to the photosynthesising cells of the leaf. The carbon dioxide diffuses
into the leaf through stomata. It then diffuses air spaces and into mesophyll cells and finally into
chloroplasts.

The leaf is an above ground organ of the plant. The leaf has a broad, thin lamina, a midrib and a
network of veins. To perform its function the leaf must contain chlorophyll and other photosynthetic
pigment. It must be able to absorb carbon dioxide and dispose of oxygen. The leaf must also have a
water supply and be able to export manufactured carbohydrate to the rest of the plant. The upper
epidermis is made of thin flat and transparent cells which allow light through to the cells of the
mesophyll below, where photosynthesis takes place. A waxy cuticle provides a watertight layer
preventing water loss other than through the stomata.th structure of the lower epidermis is similar
to the upper epidermis except that is contains many stomata.

The palisade mesophyll is the main site of photosynthesis as there are more chloroplasts per cell
than in the spongy mesophyll. Palisade cells have several adaptations for light absorption. They are
long cylinders arranged at right angles to the upper epidermis so that as much light as possible can
reach the chloroplasts. The cells have a large vacuole in order to push the chloroplasts to the edge of
the cell where it can get the most light. The chloroplasts can be moved by proteins in the cytoplasm
to absorb the most light. The palisade cells are also adapted for gaseous exchange. The cells pack
themselves together with long narrow air spaces between them so that there is a large surface area
between cell and air. The cell walls are very thin so that gases can diffuse through them more easily.

The veins in the leaf help to support the large surface area of the leaf. They contain xylem, which
brings in the water necessary for photosynthesis and for cell turgor, and phloem which takes the
products of photosynthesis to other parts of the plant.

Spongy mesophyll is mainly adapted as a surface for the exchange for carbon dioxide and oxygen.
The cells contain chloroplasts but in smaller numbers than in palisade cells. Photosynthesis occurs in
the spongy mesophyll only at high light intensities. The irregular packing of the cells and the large air
spaces thus produced provide a large surface area of moist cell wall for gaseous exchange.

Photosynthesis is an important process in plants where they use carbon dioxide and water and
energy from sunlight to make glucose and oxygen. The leaf is specially adapted to perform its
function. The palisade mesophyll cells where photosynthesis occurs are also adapted to perform
their function.