Plant nutrition Photosynthesis Types of nutrition Chlorophyll (the most important things in photosynthesis) However, sunlight shining onto water and carbon dioxide still will not make them react together to make glucose. The sunlight energy has to be trapped and then used in reactions. Green plants has a substance which does this. It’s called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the pigment which makes plants look green. It’s inside the chloroplasts of plant cells. Leaves Photosynthesis happened inside chloroplasts. This is where the enzymes and chlorophyll are that catalysts and supply energy for the reaction. In a typical plant, most chloroplast are in the cell in the leaves. A leaf is a factory for making carbohydrates. Leaves are therefore specially adapted to allow photosynthesis to take place as quickly and efficiently as possible. Leaf adaption Leaves are adapted to obtain carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. Carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is obtained from the air. There is not very much available, because only about 0.04% of the air is carbon dioxide. Therefore, the leaf must be very efficient at absorbing it. The leaf is held out into the air by the stem and the leaf stalk and its large surface are helps to expose it to as much as possible. Green plants make the carbohydrate glucose from carbon dioxide and water. At the same time, oxygen is produced. If you just mix water and carbon dioxide together, they will not make glucose. They have to be given energy before they will combine. Green plants use the energy of sunlight for this. The reaction is therefore called photosynthesis. Plant nutrition Photosynthesis Types of nutrition All living organisms need to take many different substances into their bodies. Some of these may be used to make new parts, or repair old parts. Other may be used to release energy. Taking in useful substances is called feeding, or nutrition. Animals and fungi cannot make their own food. They feed on organic substances that have originally been made by plants. Some animals eat other animals, but all the substances passing from one animal to another were first made by plants. Green plants make their own food. They use simple organic substances – carbon dioxide, water and mineral – from the air and soil. Plants build these substances into complex material, making all the carbohydrates, lipids protein and vitamins that they need. Substances made by living things are said to be organic.