Breath of the Forest — Photosynthesis

PHENOMENON MAGAZINE Spring 2017 Issue

BREATH of the FOREST PHOTOSYNTHESIS

The name photosynthesis is derived from the Greek words, photo for ‘light’ and synthesis meaning ‘putting together’.

Redwood National and State Parks, CA (Getty Image)

CONTENT

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

05

Chemical Equation

06

Raw Materials

07 Sunlight

Why is sunlight needed for photosynthesis

09 Water

Why is water important in photosynthesis

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Carbon Dioxide

Forests — the “lungs of the earth”

13 Leaf

What is the role of the leaf in photosynthesis

15 Products 16 Glucose

What does the plant need glucose (food) for

17 Oxygen

First vertical forest in Asia

How do plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis

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Significance to the environment

Example: the 2015 Milan Expo

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07

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16 11 19

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Chemical Equation of the Light Reaction 6CO 2 + 12H 2O + Light Energy → C 6H12O6 + 6O 2 + 6H 2O 05

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SUNLIGHT

Why is sunlight needed for photosynthesis?

Sunlight is needed for photosynthesis because the solar energy is what is converted to chemical energy by the plant's chloroplasts. This energy is necessary for the production of glucose, which provides usable energy for the plant.

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What percent of the sun’s energy do plants use?

For photosynthesis, plants use approximately 0.023 percent of sunlight energy. This is a very small percentage that plants need to make food when compared to the water cycle’s use of solar energy, which is 23 percent.

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Why is water important in photosynthesis?

Water is important for photosynthesis because it the source of hydrogen for the sugars created through photosynthesis.

The simple sugars created through photosynthesis have six carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms and six oxygen atoms per molecule. The source of carbon is carbon dioxide gas from the air.

WATER

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Hand Watering a Plant. Digital image. <sepixa.com/how-it-works>

Getting Water from Roots Plants get the water they need for photosynthesis through their roots. The roots have a type of cell called a root hair cell - these project out from the root into the soil. Roots have a big surface area and thin walls, which allow water to pass through them easily.

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CARBON DIOXIDE

Forest — “the Lungs of the Earth” Plants get carbon dioxide from the air through their leaves. The carbon dioxide diffuses through small holes in the underside of the leaves called stomata.

Forests have become extremely important as they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigate the effects of climate change.

Growing trees can help in reducing “green-house” effect of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The beauty of the earth. Digital image. <mixidip.tumblr.com>

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FOREST “the Lungs of the Earth” photo @ Smitt/iStock

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LEAF What is the role of the leaves in photosynthesis?

Leaves typically have a large surface area that contains chloroplasts to absorb sunlight for the process of photosynthesis. The chloroplasts contain a substance called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the substance that makes leaves appear green and allows them to absorb sunlight easily.

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GLUCOSE What does the plant need glucose (food) for?

Just like humans and other living things, plants also need this food for many things.

Glucose resulting from photosynthesis is used during respiration to release energy that the plant needs for other life processes.

Glucose is also needed to make other chemicals such as proteins, fats and plant sugars that are all need for the plant to carry out essential growth.

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Nanjing, China First vertical forest in Asia with 3,000 plants, will turn CO2 into 132 pounds of oxygen per day.

Expected completion in 2018

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Similar buildings have also been planned by the architect for Lausanne, Switzerland

OXYGEN How do plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis?

During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide and water, disassemble the molecules and convert them into sugar and oxygen. The water molecules are split into hydrogen and oxygen, and the hydrogen joins carbon dioxide to create sugars. The excess oxygen is released into the atmosphere during the respiration cycle.

Nanjing vertical forest designed by Italian architect Stefano Boeri. www.demilked.com/vertical-forest-stefano-boeri-china-architecture

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Milan EXPO 2015, Austrian Pavilion

Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.

Photosynthesis plays an important role in the environment. It helps clean the air because plants use the carbon dioxide in the air for photosynthesis, the plants produce oxygen as a by-product which all humans and animals need to live and it also makes plants grow, providing food for animals that feed on plants. images Š team.breathe.austria

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photo credit: Digital Image