What is the Process of Photosynthesis? Clearly Explained With Diagram For Kids

Every organism in the world requires food to sustain life. However, the process by which an organism gets food differs to a great extent. Like green plants use the process of photosynthesis to obtain food. You might want to teach your kids what photosynthesis is? This article will help you.

Broadly classifying organisms are divided into autotrophs and heterotrophs. Autotrophs are the ones that prepare their food. While heterotrophs are the ones that depend on others for their food. For example, trees come under autotrophs as they prepare their food through photosynthesis. While humans are heterotrophs as they obtain food from green plants or animals.

The question here is what is the process of photosynthesis? or what is meant by photosynthesis? The answer is crystal clear yet hides a lot of untold parts. You will learn everything through this article in simple words that your kids can understand.

What is Photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is made of two words: photo and synthesis. Photo means light and synthesis means putting together. In simple words, the process by which green plants prepare their food in the presence of sunlight is termed photosynthesis. However, it is a loose answer to what is meant by photosynthesis?

In reality, photosynthesis is the process where green plants convert light energy into chemical energy. They take light energy from the sun and convert carbon dioxide and water into organic compounds (rich in energy) and oxygen. So, now you know what is photosynthesis? But various questions are still unknown, such as what is the equation of photosynthesis? What is the process of photosynthesis? Or what is the product of photosynthesis? The subsequent paragraphs deal with all.

What are the Raw Materials Required in Photosynthesis?

Before understanding what is the process of photosynthesis? you should know about the raw materials required in it.

There are directly or indirectly several raw materials required in the process of photosynthesis. However, your kid only needs to know three of them. They are:

1. Carbon Dioxide

Humans and other organisms that depend on cellular respiration release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide enters the plant through stomata. The latter are small openings or pores on the leaf’s surface that are not visible from naked eyes.

It helps in the exchange of massive amounts of gasses through the process of diffusion. Along the stomata, the surface of various other parts like stems, roots, and leaves also helps in the exchange of gases.

2. Water

It is then transported above ( initially to leaves and further to photosynthetic cells ) through a network of transportation tubes called xylem. When an object moves in the opposite direction of gravity, it requires an opposite force. In the case of water transportation in plants, the process of transpiration works as that force.

Transpiration is the process in which green plants lose water from the stomata of the leaves. As the water evaporates from the leaves, the water in the roots pumps up to the above.

The water molecules further divide into hydrogen (H) and oxygen ( O2), in the presence of sunlight. This process is called the photolysis of water. Oxygen (O2) is released as a byproduct while hydrogen ( H) is used as a reducing agent in photosynthesis reactions. You will learn more about it in the section ‘What is the equation of photosynthesis?’

3. Other Minerals

There are various other minerals that plants absorb from the soil. They also contribute in one way or the other to the process of photosynthesis. Some of them are magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and nitrogen.

Nitrogen is a vital mineral used to synthesize protein. Here a point to note is, nitrogen is present in abundant amounts in the atmosphere. Yet humans or green plants cannot take inert nitrogen. Thus, bacterias like rhizobium ( it lives in a symbiotic relationship with legumes ) convert the inert nitrogen into inorganic nitrates or nitrites. These nitrates or nitrites are taken by plants through the soil and further shifted to humans through plant food.

So, these are some of the raw materials required in photosynthesis reactions. You will learn the significance of each in the section. What is the process of photosynthesis?

Vital Conditions For Photosynthesis

There are some materials necessary for photosynthesis. They are:

1. Sunlight

Sunlight is a vital factor. Its intensity, duration, and quality drastically affect the rate of photosynthesis.

2. Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is the green pigment present in the form of small structures in the chloroplast of green plants. It traps solar energy. It provides leaves energy to perform photosynthesis. It is also responsible for the green colour of plants.

These are two vital conditions for photosynthesis. Through the next section, you will learn about what is the equation of photosynthesis? And what is the product of photosynthesis?

What is the Equation of Photosynthesis?

In terms of photosynthesis reaction, it is an oxidation-reduction process that takes energy from the light. For those who are not aware of oxidation and reduction, here is a brief explanation.

Oxidation means the removal of hydrogen, the addition of oxygen, or the loss of an electron from an atom. Whereas reduction is opposite to oxidation. It means the addition of hydrogen, removal of oxygen, or gain of an electron by an atom.

Let us return to the question: What is the Equation of Photosynthesis? Here is the answer.

The basic equation of photosynthesis is:

Carbon Dioxide ( CO2 ) + Water ( H2O ) —–In the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll—- Glucose ( C6H12O6 ) + Oxygen ( O2)

Here you can see, the carbon is getting reduced as hydrogen adds to it, making glucose. While the water gets oxidized as hydrogen gets removed from it, making oxygen.

So, the answer to the question: what is the product of photosynthesis? is oxygen or O2 and Glucose. The various steps involved in photosynthesis are:

• The first step involves the absorption of sunlight through chlorophyll.
• This sunlight divides water into hydrogen and oxygen.
• Then the raw materials go through various small reactions.
• Then it forms one of the simplest carbohydrates that is glucose.
• This glucose then turns into starch, a complex carbohydrate.
• The leaves and various other parts store this starch as food.

Some of the glucose also turns into oils, fats, vitamins, and proteins.

What is the Product of Photosynthesis?

If you carefully observe the entire diagram of photosynthesis, oxygen is not the only product. In reality, oxygen is the byproduct that gets released into the atmosphere. There are various other products that plants make from glucose to store in various parts. Some of them are:

1. Plants Make Starch

A natural process makes the simple carbohydrate into a complex structure known as starch. It is stored in various parts of plants like roots, leaves, stems, and seeds.

The grains or seeds or rice and wheat store a lot of starch, while the carrot and potato plants store maximum starch in their roots. You might notice that humans get starch from these parts only.

2. Plants Make Fats (or Oils) as Food

Do you notice that most of the oils you eat are obtained from seeds? Plants make simple carbohydrates ( glucose ) into oils. These oils get stored in the seeds. Such seeds are called oil seeds. It provides you with cooking oil.

For example, The Sunflower plants store a lot of oil in their seeds. It is used in cooking. You might have fried fritters or pakodas in it. The oils obtained from plants are called vegetable oils.

3. Plants Produce Protein as Food

Plants combine the simple carbohydrate glucose with nitrogen in various forms ( Nitrites and nitrates ) they absorb from soil and form amino acids. These amino acids turn into proteins in the plant. In this way, plants produce protein.

When you eat pulses, nitrogen, in the form of protein, goes into your body. It contributes to your physical growth.

4. Plants Store Vitamins as Food

Plants also make vitamins. It is stored in fruits, vegetables, and cereals obtained by plants.

So, now you are aware of every concept of photosynthesis for kids.

Conclusion

You can say that photosynthesis makes plants a source of protein, carbohydrate, fats, roughage, vitamins, etc., for humans. It is a vital process that sustains life. If plants discontinue photosynthesis, soon life on the planet earth would start disappearing. It will happen because of two reasons.

The first is, most humans will not get food to eat. Soon they would die of hunger. Animals are also dependent on plants for their food. So, even if you rely on animal food, you will fail to sustain. Secondly, photosynthesis gives oxygen to the atmosphere. Earth without oxygen means earth without any life form other than bacterias that depends on anaerobic respiration.

So, photosynthesis might look like a simple process but it is the reason behind each life form.