Does photosynthesis make energy or store energy?

Photosynthesis is the process plants and some algae use to convert light energy to chemical energy stored as sugar within chloroplasts -- the energy factories found in plant cells. Energy stored during photosynthesis begins the flow of energy and carbon down the food chain.

Subsequently, one may also ask, does photosynthesis use energy or does it release energy?

Function. Photosynthesis uses light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen gas. Each molecule of glucose essentially “stores” up to 38 molecules of ATP which can be broken down and used during other cellular reactions.

Secondly, what energy does photosynthesis use? Photosynthesis, the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds.

Also know, where is energy stored during photosynthesis?

chloroplast

How much of the energy that reaches the plant is stored?

Energy transfers and pyramids A small amount of the energy stored in plants, between 5 and 25 percent, passes into herbivores (plant eaters) as they feed, and a similarly small percentage of the energy in herbivores then passes into carnivores (animal eaters).

34 Related Question Answers Found

What happens to the energy in photosynthesis?

The process of photosynthesis is complex. Sunlight energy is converted into chemical energy by using chlorophyll, which is what gives plants their green color. Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light and uses the energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose.

What type of energy is sunlight?

Answer and Explanation: Sunlight provides what is called solar (light) energy. For instance, plants use the energy of sunlight to carry out a process called photosynthesis,

Which process releases energy in a plant?

By this process, plants change energy from the sun into glucose. The reverse of this process is cellular respiration. The sugars made from photosynthesis are broken down with oxygen to release energy. The waste products are carbon dioxide and water.

What type of energy is glucose?

Explanation: It's chemical energy because when glucose is broken down into ATP or adenosine triphosphate it releases chemical energy into the cells that use it for energy.

What type of energy is stored in plants?

Plants also convert sunlight into other forms of energy. In this case plants convert light energy (1) into chemical energy, (in molecular bonds), through a process known as photosynthesis. Most of this energy is stored in compounds called carbohydrates.

What type of energy is ATP?

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a complex organic chemical that provides energy to drive many processes in living cells, e.g. muscle contraction, nerve impulse propagation, and chemical synthesis. Found in all forms of life, ATP is often referred to as the "molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer.

Does respiration release energy?

During cellular respiration, glucose is broken down in the presence of oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Energy released during the reaction is captured by the energy-carrying molecule ATP (adenosine triphosphate).

What are the two main functions of chloroplasts?

The two main functions of chloroplasts are to produce food (glucose) during photosynthesis, and to store food energy.

Where is ATP stored?

The energy for the synthesis of ATP comes from the breakdown of foods and phosphocreatine (PC). Phosphocreatine is also known as creatine phosphate and like existing ATP; it is stored inside muscle cells. Because it is stored in muscle cells phosphocreatine is readily available to produce ATP quickly.

How is energy conserved in photosynthesis?

The Law of Conservation of Energy says that energy isn't created or destroyed, but it can transform. Photosynthesis is an example of that becuase it transforms light energy into an energy source that organisms need to survive (glucose). It doesn't destroy the light energy, but it changes into another form of energy.

How efficient is photosynthesis in terms of energy?

Therefore, the estimated maximum energy efficiency of photosynthesis is the energy stored per mole of oxygen evolved, 117 kcal, divided by 450—that is, 117/450, or 26 percent. Consequently, plants can at best absorb only about 34 percent of the incident sunlight.

How do you explain photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and other things make food. It is an endothermic (takes in heat) chemical process that uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into sugars that the cell can use as energy. As well as plants, many kinds of algae, protists and bacteria use it to get food.

What are the two stages of photosynthesis?

The two stages of photosynthesis: Photosynthesis takes place in two stages: light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle (light-independent reactions). Light-dependent reactions, which take place in the thylakoid membrane, use light energy to make ATP and NADPH.

Why is photosynthesis important?

Photosynthesis is important to living organisms because it is the number one source of oxygen in the atmosphere. Green plants and trees use photosynthesis to make food from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water in the atmosphere: It is their primary source of energy.

How do animals store energy?

Animals store some energy as a more stable complex of many glucose molecules called glycogen. Animals also store some energy as fat, which has more energy for its weight than starches, and therefore is easier to carry around. Energy is broken down from its stored forms into glucose to be transported through the body.

Why is photosynthesis so efficient?

Plants are way more energy efficient than we thought. Photorespiration wastes little energy and instead enhances nitrate assimilation, the process that converts nitrate from the soil into protein, according to a new study. Photosynthesis is one of the most crucial life processes on Earth.

What type of energy is a hamburger?

A hamburger has 2.2MJ of chemical potential energy which can be released by eating it. [Throughout this question you should assume that all of this energy can be converted into mechanical work or potential energy.]