Green plants are described as autotrophs, which they can

produce their own food.

Photosynthesis is the fundamental process by which plants

manufacture food molecules (carbohydrates) from raw
materials CO2 and H2O using energy from light.
• Energy is needed to convert the carbon
dioxide and water molecules into
glucose, which is required for a plant's
growth.
• This energy is provided by sunlight.
Sunlight is trapped in a plant by
chlorophyll.
• Chlorophyll is the green colored pigment
that contains magnesium. It is found
within the chloroplast of cells, where
photosynthesis takes place.
• Carbon dioxide is obtained from air. Carbon dioxide enters by diffusion into
the leaf through the tiny pores mostly situated in the lower surface of the
leaf called stomata

• Water is obtained from soil. The root hair cells absorb it by osmosis. It is
carried up to the leaf in the xylem vessels. Water then travels from the
xylem vessels to the mesophyll cells by osmosis.

• Oxygen is produced as a by-product during photosynthesis.

• Glucose is produced during photosynthesis
which is a simple sugar and it is soluble.
• Glucose is then converted to sucrose and carried
to the storage organs of a plant.
• Sucrose is then converted to starch and stored
for later use.
• The tuber of a potato is an example of a plant’s
storage organ.
Importance of photosynthesis
• Almost all the other forms of life on Earth depend on plants for food
in some or other way.
• Animals depend on plant material directly or indirectly.
• The oxygen produced by photosynthesis is essential for respiration of
most life forms.
• Photosynthesis also use up the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
and contribute to maintaining carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere.
Leaf structure
• Leaves are usually green in color due to the
presence of a substance called chlorophyll.
• A leaf has a stalk also called the petiole,
which attaches the leaf to the plant.
• The broad, flat part of the leaf is called leaf
blade, which absorbs sunlight.
• The veins carry water to the cells in the leaf.
They also help to support the leaf and hold
it out flat. There is a large main vein called
the midrib, which runs across the center of
the leaf. It helps to hold the leaf, facing the
Sun.
• Cuticle: It is a waxy layer that prevents water loss by evaporation.
• Upper epidermis: It is a protective layer of cells that produces
the cuticle.
• Palisade mesophyll: This layer contains rod-shaped cells that
have large numbers of chloroplasts for photosynthesis.
• Spongy mesophyll: Cells in this layer are found in the lower part
of the leaf. They are smaller than those of the palisade
mesophyll. They also contain chloroplasts. These cells have large
air spaces between them that allow carbon dioxide and oxygen
to diffuse between them.
• Lower epidermis: It is a protective layer of cells. It too produce a
waxy cuticle in some plant species. The lower epidermis contains
pores called stomata that allow carbon dioxide and oxygen to
• Stomata: They are tiny pores (small holes) located in lower
epidermis surrounded by a pair of sausage-shaped guard
cells.
• Guard cells can change shape to close the pore. In very hot
conditions, water inside the leaf evaporates and the water
vapor can escape through the stomata.
• Closing them not only reduces water loss but also limits the
diffusion of carbon dioxide and oxygen in and out of the leaf.