 Process by which plants capture energy and make complex molecules (carbohydrates) in a series of linked chemical reactions.  Energy is required for life processes such as:  growth & development, movement, transport

 Autotrophs – organisms that produce food from sunlight.  Heterotrophs – consume other organisms for energy.  Primary consumers  Secondary consumers

 Absorbs light energy  It reflects green wavelengths of light (this is why plants are green)

 Chloroplast  Granum  Thylakoid  Pigments

 Chlorophyll  Carotenoids

 Aristotle - thought that plants derived their food from the soil.

 Nicolas de Saussure – found that plants require carbon dioxide and water to grow

 Jan Ingenhousz – found that plants produce oxygen when exposed to light.

 Joseph Priestley – performed the bell jar & candle experiment. Found that plants give off oxygen

 Jean Senebier - found that plants require carbon dioxide and light for photosynthesis

 Jan van Helment – found a plant’s mass is mostly water.

 John Mayer – discovered that plants convert light energy into chemical energy (carbohydrates)