Lesson 10 — Activity 2: Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
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Lesson 10 — Activity 2:
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
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One of the most important life functions is nutrition. Animals and plants require a continual supply of energy in order to grow and function. Animals get their energy from the food they eat. Plants have to make their own food in a process called photosynthesis. These two life functions are connected. You will learn about this in the activity below.
Let's look first at photosynthesis.
During photosynthesis, the chloroplasts in green plants capture energy from the sun and store it in food molecules. Plants use the energy from the sun, along with water and carbon dioxide, to make a simple sugar called glucose. A by-product of this
process is oxygen. This is released from the leaves into the air. Food that the plant does not use immediately is stored for later use.
Digging Deeper
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Click here to go to the Study Jams! website to watch a video that further explains the process of photosynthesis.
When you have finished watching the video, click on the "close" button in the upper right-hand corner to exit the video. Then, click on the "Test Yourself" button to to see how much you know about the process of photosynthesis.
Different plants use different parts to store the extra food. The table below shows some examples.
Both animals and plants use a process called cellular respiration in which the food that is produced undergoes chemical change and releases energy. You will learn more about this below.
Cellular respiration takes place in the cells' mitochondrion. Remember that the mitochondrion is like a cell's power plant. The mitochondrion convert energy from the food into a form of energy that the cell uses to grow and do its work.
It
works like this:
The mitochondrion takes in nutrients (glucose and oxygen), breaks them down, and creates energy for the cell. The glucose is broken down into carbon dioxide and water. When it does that, there is a release of energy and the
organism (plant or animal) uses that energy to function.
Created with BioRender.com
Cellular respiration takes place in the cells' mitochondrion. Remember that the mitochondrion is like a cell's power plant. The mitochondrion convert energy from the food into a form of energy that the cell uses to grow and do its work.
It works like this:
The mitochondrion takes in nutrients (glucose and oxygen), breaks them down, and creates energy for the cell. The glucose is broken down into carbon dioxide and water. When it does that, there is a release of energy and the organism (plant or animal) uses that energy to function.
It works like this:
The mitochondrion takes in nutrients (glucose and oxygen), breaks them down, and creates energy for the cell. The glucose is broken down into carbon dioxide and water. When it does that, there is a release of energy and the organism (plant or animal) uses that energy to function.
Created with BioRender.com
Comparing Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
1. Photosynthesis stores energy.
2. Cellular respiration releases energy. This released energy is the only form of energy the cell can use for all its activities.
The image below shows the connection between photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Look at the arrows, these processes form a cycle.
CC BY-NC 3.0 Mariana Ruiz Villarreal (LadyofHats) for CK-12 Foundation
Self-Check
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