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How do plants make food? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
The way that plants store the light and energy of the sun using the process of photosynthesis is part of a very special cycle of energy that is essential to the way we live on Earth! Through photosynthesis, plants not only feed themselves, but also humans and other animals! – When a plant undergoes photosynthesis, it stores light from the sun as potential energy. In turn, this energy then feeds us and other animals when we eat plants! We then use this energy to do everything from thinking to breathing to playing to laughing, and more!
What are some of the most essential things that people and other animals need to survive? Water, food, and oxygen from the air are among the most important. Clothing and shelter are good answers, too.
Just like there are certain essentials to humans’ and animals’ survival, plants have certain things they need too! – The things that plants cannot live without are water, carbon dioxide from the air, sunlight, and nutrients in the ground! Plants use these things in a special process called “photosynthesis” which allows them to make their own food, which is why they don’t need to eat! Plants contain a special helper called “chlorophyll” (which is what makes them green!) which makes photosynthesis possible.
Another really special thing about the way plants make food has to do with how they use the air they breathe! While humans breathe in the part of air known as “oxygen” and breathe out the part known as “carbon dioxide,” plants do the opposite! That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important that we don’t cut down too many trees – they help us to always have enough oxygen to breathe!
The way that plants store the light and energy of the sun using the process of photosynthesis is part of a very special cycle of energy that is essential to the way we live on Earth! Through photosynthesis, plants not only feed themselves, but also humans and other animals! – When a plant undergoes photosynthesis, it stores light from the sun as potential energy. In turn, this energy then feeds us and other animals when we eat plants! We then use this energy to do everything from thinking to breathing to playing to laughing, and more!
Plant on!
To see for yourself the way plants need light, air, water, and nutrients from soil in order to survive, try out this experiment!
Get a packet of seeds and five small pots. Plant a few seeds in each pot, and then grow each one in different conditions! See what happens when you leave out one of each of a plant’s most essential needs.
- Light: Put one pot in a dark place (like a closet with no windows) to see if it can grow without any light.
- Air: Seal one pot into a plastic bag to see if it can grow without any air.
- Soil: Plant one of the pots with sand or pebbles instead of soil to see if it can grow without any nutrients.
- Water: Don’t water one of the pots to see if it can grow without any water.
For the fifth pot, grow it in all of the right conditions: Plant it in soil, give it plenty of water, place it in a sunny window, and allow it to have lots of air!
After a few weeks, which plant is doing the best? Why do you think it happened this way??
- Nebel, Bernard J. Ph.D. “Chapter 15 - Energy: Making Things Go.” Nebel’s Elementary Education. Maryland: Nebel’s Press for Learning, 2001. 349-354.
- “What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow.” Botanical Gardens Programs. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. 14 Oct. 2009 < http://www.huntington.org/uploadedFiles/Files/PDFs/BGRPneedslight.pdf>
- Vermaas, Wim. “An Introduction to Photosynthesis and Its Applications.” Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis. 2007. Arizona State University. 14 Oct. 2009 < http://bioenergy.asu.edu/photosyn/education/photointro.html>
- Groleau, Rick. “Illuminating Photosynthesis.” NOVA Online. 2001. Public Broadcasting Service. 14 Oct. 2009 < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/methuselah/photosynthesis.html>
- “Photosynthesis.” 2004. University of Cincinnati Clermont College. 14 Oct. 2009 < http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Courses/bio104/photosyn.htm>
Plants make there own food for the sunlight going through it's leaves