Photosynthesis

20.1 The Primary Food Source

• Some examples of food chains:

Grass Rabbit Snake Hawk

 20.1 The Primary Food Source
• Some examples of food chains:

Tree Aphid Ladybird Small bird

 20.1 The Primary Food Source
• Some examples of food chains:

Grass Zebra Tsetse fly (sucks the

blood of zebras)
 20.1 The Primary Food Source
• In the food chains you observed previously, did
you notice that plants are always found at the
beginning of a food chain?
• Plants provide all living organisms with food and
energy to live.
• Plants are the only living things that can produce
their own food from raw materials and energy.
• Thus, plants are called producers.
• Animals are called consumers.
 20.1 The Primary Food Source
• Food for plants is energy-rich substances
called carbohydrates (e.g. starch and
sugar).
• When broken down, carbohydrates
release a lot of energy for plants to grow
and survive.
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
• Plants obtain water and dissolved
mineral salts from the soil.
• However, these substances are not rich
in energy like the carbohydrates found in
the plant body.
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
Experiment 1: Do energy-rich compounds in the
plant’s body come from soil?
Experiments have shown that plants can grow well with
their roots in a solution of mineral salts, without carbon.

3. Plant matter is also made of

1. Plant grown in 2. The weight gained by
a solution of this plant is much more
mineral salts. than the weight lost by
the mineral salts
solution.
other substances like
carbohydrates. Where do the
carbon and energy present in
these carbohydrates come
from?
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
• Two hypotheses (scientific guesses) on
the importance of carbon dioxide and
light for a plant to make carbohydrates:
o Hypothesis 1: Sunlight is needed for
carbohydrate formation in plants.
o Hypothesis 2: Carbon dioxide is needed for
carbohydrate formation in plants.
• Experiments are needed to test these
hypotheses.
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
• Starch is an important storage
compound of energy and carbon in
plants.
• We have to find out whether carbon
dioxide and sunlight are necessary for
its formation.
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
Experiment 2: Starch test
The details of the starch test are given in your practical
book. If the leaf contains starch, it will turn blue-black when
tested with iodine solution. If starch is absent, the leaf will
turn light brown.
a) Starch is present b) Starch is absent

leaf turns leaf turns light

blue-black brown
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
Experiment 3: Is sunlight necessary for starch
formation?
This experiment shows that sunlight is essential for starch
formation.
Grow a potted plant in the absence of light. Compare this
potted plant with a plant grown under normal conditions in
sunlight.
a) Plant kept in the dark b) Plant kept in the light

leaf turns light leaf turns

brown blue-black
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
Experiment 4: Is carbon dioxide in the air necessary for
starch formation?
Grow a potted
From this plant in you
experiment, a bell-jar in the
will learn absence
that of formed
starch is carbon in
dioxide. Usewhen
plants only sodium or potassium
supplied hydroxide
with carbon solution to absorb
dioxide.
carbon dioxide from the air in the jar. Compare this with a plant
grown in normal air containing carbon dioxide.

a) Plant grown in air without b) Plant grown in air with

carbon dioxide carbon dioxide

Sodium or
Water
potassium
hydroxide
 20.2 Sources of Raw Materials
and Energy
Experiment 5: Does the green pigment, chlorophyll
play an important part in starch formation?
For a)
this investigation,
A variegated leaf we needb) Ato use plants
variegated withfor starch
leaf tested
variegated leaves. In a variegated leaf, some parts are
green and some parts are without chlorophyll.
• Step 1: Grow a plant under normal conditions.
• Step 2: Remove a variegated leaf.
These results
• Step 3: Maketell you thatof
a drawing starch is formed
the leaf to showonly thein those
parts of the of
distribution leaf that contain chlorophyll. Some plants
chlorophyll.
(e.g.
• Stepcoleus) have pigments that give the leaves a colour
4: Test the leaf for starch. See practical details in
other than green. In these plants, chlorophyll is hidden
your workbook for the test for starch.
under these pigments to help in starch formation.
 20.3 Changing Raw Materials
into Sugar – Photosynthesis
• Sunlight, carbon dioxide and chlorophyll
are essential for starch formation.
• This process is called photosynthesis.
• Photosynthesis is the process by which
green plants, in the presence of
chlorophyll and light energy, manufacture
carbohydrates (glucose) from carbon
dioxide and water. During this process,
oxygen is given off.
 20.3 Changing Raw Materials
into Sugar – Photosynthesis
• Photosynthesis can be summarised in this
equation:
Carbon dioxide + Water Chlorophyll Glucose + Oxygen
Light energy

source of energy

carbon dioxide
oxygen glucose

water
 20.3 Changing Raw Materials
into Sugar – Photosynthesis
• Glucose, a sugar, is formed during
photosynthesis.
• However, we test for starch instead. This is
because excess glucose produced is changed
into starch for storage.
• If starch is present in a leaf, excess glucose has
been produced.
• This will indicate that photosynthesis has
occurred.
 Conditions essential for
photosynthesis
Sunlight (light energy)
Light energy is converted
to chemical energy stored
in glucose.
Chlorophyll
This green pigment absorbs light
energy and changes it into
chemical energy needed to
manufacture glucose.
Suitable temperature
Photosynthesis depends on the reactions
of enzymes in the chloroplasts. Enzyme
reactions are fastest at a suitable temperature.
glucose
Carbon dioxide and water water
These are the raw materials needed
to form carbohydrates (glucose).
 20.4 Ornamental Plants and
Large-scale Crops
• There are two types of commercial plants –
ornamental plants and large-scale crops.
 The healthy growth of
plants
• Both ornamental plants (e.g. orchids and roses) and
crops (e.g. sugarcane and wheat) need favourable
conditions to be healthy. These include:
o Sunlight, chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide and suitable
temperature
o Warm and humid conditions (plants generally grow
faster)
o Fertilisers to provide nutrients (e.g. nitrogen and
magnesium)
o Suitable spacing between plants to prevent overcrowding
o Suitable soil for the growth of ornamental plants and
crops
 Ornamental plants
1. The temperature and the
amount of light in the
greenhouse or nursery can be
controlled to suit different
plants.

2. Ornamental plants are

3. The amount of water can
normally planted in pots,
be controlled for plants
in a greenhouse or
grown in greenhouses
nursery.
and nurseries.

4. Adequate spacing
between pots of plants 5. Fertilisers are used to
prevents them from provide plants with
competing for sunlight. adequate nutrients.
 Large-scale crops
1. The temperature and the
amount of light cannot be
controlled. Both depend on the
weather. A shade might be
used if the weather is too hot.

2. Large-scale crop plants are

grown in large quantities and
require large plots of land. 4. Adequate spacing allows
healthy growth and
3. Water comes from rain and prevents overcrowding.
irrigation canals. It cannot be
controlled. Drainage systems are
5. Besides providing plants
used to prevent the land from
with nutrients, fertilisers
flooding during heavy rainfalls.
also improve the soil
quality and increase
crop yields.
 Miscellaneous
• http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/
BIOBK/BioBookPS.html
• http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html
• http://www.newtonsapple.tv/video.php?id=915
• http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/AEF/
1996/morishita_pictures.html
• http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/psu/psu.html
• http://www.ipmcenters.org/cropprofiles/docs/
ncornamentals.html
• http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/crop.html