Plants use photosynthesis to turn sunlight into energy. The process converts CO2 and water into sugar and oxygen. Our planet is blanketed in an oxygen-rich atmosphere due to the photosynthesis process.

Oxygenic and anoxygenic are the types of photosynthesis. Both of them follow the same principles, but the former is more common and is found in plants.

Light energy is transferred from water to CO2 during oxygenic photosynthesis. The water is "oxidized" and the CO2 is reduced in this transfer. Carbohydrates and oxygen are produced together.

This process creates a balance on Earth, in which the carbon dioxide produced by breathing organisms as they consume oxygen is converted back into oxygen by plants.

According to "Anoxygenic Photosyntheticbacteria", anoxygenic photosynthesis uses electron donors that are not water and the process does not generate oxygen. Green sulfurbacteria and phototrophic purplebacteria are examples of the types ofbacteria that occur in the process.

The process of photosynthesis can be summed up as a chemical equation.

The oxygenic photosynthesis equation is related to the sun.

Light energy C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O.

Carbon dioxide and water are combined with light energy. The result is a single molecule of C6H12O6 along with six Molecules of Oxygen and Water.

A single generalized formula can be used to represent the various anoxygenic photosynthesis reactions.

CO2 + 2H2A + light energy.

The potential electron donor is represented by the letter H2A. News Medical Life Sciences says that "A" may mean sulfur in the electron donor hydrogen sulfide.

How is carbon dioxide and oxygen exchanged?

stomata are the gatekeepers of the leaf, allowing gas exchange between the leaf and surrounding air.

Stomata are the gatekeepers of the leaf, allowing gas exchange between the leaf and surrounding air.  (Image credit: Waldo Nell / 500px via Getty Images)
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Plants absorb CO2 from the air and release it through their leaves.

While open, the stomata release oxygen and allow water to escape. The plant can no longer gain CO2 due to the close proximity of the shahamat. Plants growing in hot, dry environments face a tradeoff between CO2 gain and water loss.

How do plants absorb sunlight for photosynthesis?

The plants absorb light energy.

According to the science education site Nature Education, chlorophyll is the main ingredient in plants' green colors. Green and red light are reflected by chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a large molecule that takes a lot of resources to make and breaks down at the end of the leaf's life. According to Harvard University's The Harvard Forest, anthocyanins absorb blue-green light and red light, which is 888-609- 888-609- 888-609- 888-609-

The flexibility to move toward light and toward one another is associated with the pigment molecule. According to an article written by a professor at Arizona State University, there is a large collection of 100 to 5000 pigment molecule. Light energy from the sun is captured in the form of photon.

There is a difference between the situation forbacteria and others. According to "Microbes for Dummies (opens in new tab)", purplebacteria and green sulfurbacteria have the ability to absorb light and use it for photosynthesis.

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Where in the plant does photosynthesis take place?

Plants need energy from sunlight for photosynthesis to occur.

Plants need energy from sunlight for photosynthesis to occur. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
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There is a type of organelle called a plastid that is found in the leaves of plants.

Chloroplasts have their own genomes, or collection of genes, similar to the energy powerhouses of cells. The genes that are essential to the organelle and to photosynthesis are found in these genes.

According to the biology terminology website Biology Online, the plate-shaped structures that make up the chloroplasts are the ones that harvest light for photosynthesis. The columns known as grana hold the thylakoids together. There is a fluid between the Grana and the stroma.

Light energy can be turned into chemical energy by converting it to a pigment-protein complex. Light energy is transferred to Plants. When a chlorophyll pigment expels an electron, it converts chemical energy to chemical energy.

The reaction centers are the places where the light energy and chemical energy are converted.

Light-dependent reactions

The reaction center is where a photon of light hits.

The released electron is able to escape through the electron transport chain. When it moves through the chain, it creates the energy to produce the two chemicals needed in the Calvin cycle. Taking an electron from water fills the "electron hole" in the original chlorophyll pigments. Oxygen is released into the atmosphere.

Light-independent reactions: The Calvin cycle

Photosynthesis involves a process called the Calvin cycle to use energy stored from the light-dependent reactions to fix CO2 into sugars needed for plant growth.

Photosynthesis involves a process called the Calvin cycle to use energy stored from the light-dependent reactions to fix CO2 into sugars needed for plant growth.  (Image credit: Nagendra Yadav via Getty Images)
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The Calvin cycle is named after a scientist who discovered it decades ago. The Calvin cycle uses the produce of the two main sugars to make food. There is a plate in the plant stroma.

The first step of this cycle is carbon fixation, which involves the addition of CO2 into a molecule called 3-phosphoglyceric acid. The energy is released in the process when it breaks off a phosphate group on the six ATP molecule.

3-PGA is reduced in the second step because it takes electrons from six NADPH molecule and produces two glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G3P) molecule.

The Calvin cycle is left to do other things in the plant by one of these G3P molecule. regenerating rubisco is the third step of the G3P process. The plant makes sugar in between the steps.

According to Khan Academy, it takes six turns around the Calvin cycle to make one molecule of carbohydrate.

Types of photosynthesis

There are three main types of photosynthesis. The pathways for producing sugars from CO2 are slightly different.

The three main types of photosynthetic pathways are C3, C4 and CAM.

The three main types of photosynthetic pathways are C3, C4 and CAM. Most plants use C3 photosynthesis, including rice and cotton.  (Image credit: Andrew TB Tan via Getty Images)
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C3 photosynthesis

According to the research project Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency, most plants use C3 photosynthesis. C3 plants include wheat and rice. The three-carbon compound 3-PGA is used in this process.

C4 photosynthesis

C4 is used by plants such as maize and sugarcane. The four-carbon compound intermediate oxaloacetate is converted to malate in this process. Malate is transported into the bundle sheath where it breaks down and releases CO2, which is fixed by rubisco and made into sugars in the Calvin cycle. According to Biology Online, C4 plants are better adapted to hot, dry environments and can fix carbon even when their stomata are closed.

CAM photosynthesis

Plants that are adapted to very hot and dry environments include cacti and pineapples. They are at risk of losing water to the environment. Plants have adapted because of this. When temperatures are lower and water loss is less of a risk, CAM is one adaptation. According to the Khan Academy, CO2 enters the plants through the stomata and is converted into oxaloacetate and malate. The risk of water loss is reduced by the availability of CO2 during the day.

Additional resources

With the educational science website sciencing.com, you can learn more about photosynthesis. The University of Arizona has a website about leaf structure.

The article was updated by Live Science.