Question

Unlike humans, plants can make their own food. What must a plant do to make its own food?

a) Capture energy from the sun using chlorophyll
b) Make carbon dioxide
c) Convert oxygen into carbon dioxide
d) Go through the process of photosynthesis using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water

Answer 1

A plant must perform photosynthesis, where it uses chlorophyll to capture sunlight and convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen, to make its own food.

Step-by-step explanation:

To make its own food, a plant must go through the process of photosynthesis using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. Photosynthesis is crucial for a plant's survival and is possible thanks to the presence of chlorophyll, a pigment found in the chloroplasts of plant cells. Chlorophyll captures energy from sunlight, which is then used to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose, a type of sugar, and oxygen. The glucose serves as an energy source for the plant, while oxygen is released as a byproduct into the atmosphere.

Not only plants but some bacteria and protists, such as algae, are also capable of photosynthesis. In eukaryotic autotrophs (plants and algae), photosynthesis occurs within chloroplasts, whereas in prokaryotes, like cyanobacteria, it takes place in the cytoplasm and within folded membrane extensions of the plasma membrane.