Photosynthesis PowerPoint Diagram

Perfect for any educator, the Photosynthesis PowerPoint Diagram makes it easy to teach your students about photosynthesis, thanks to the clear-cut visual aide that this diagram provides. The Photosynthesis PowerPoint Diagram features three fully editable slides that you can change to look just how you want or teach from the default slides. Information on the slides covers topics such as the light energy from the sun going into the plant, what chlorophyll is, carbon dioxide and oxygen, as well as the water source needed and the sugars that are formed. Featured is a plant rooted in soil with the sun shining on it.

The photosynthesis process is where green plants and certain organisms turn the light energy into chemical energy. The word photosynthesis can be divided into two parts “photo” and “synthesis”. The first meaning light and the latter meaning putting together. This is pretty self-explanatory because the word itself defines the process.

Through the photosynthesis process the green plants use and capture light to produce oxygen and some energy-rich compounds that help them grow. They do this by using the light energy to transform carbon dioxide, water and minerals.

Importance of the Photosynthesis Process

The photosynthesis process is extremely important for life as we know it on Earth. The food we eat and the organic compounds that are present are all because of this process that has been going on for thousands of years. If it stops, there will not be enough oxygen in the gaseous state in the Earth’s atmosphere that is vital to sustain life. The fossil fuels like coal, oil or gas will exhaust. There will be no food and the eco-system will be destroyed. The only living things that can survive in such a state will be chemosynthetic bacteria that are not dependent on the conversion of light energy for survival.

History

The study of the photosynthesis process was first conducted by an English scientist/clergyman, Joseph Priestley in 1771. He experimented with a lit candle placed under a glass dome that died out as soon as the air that supported combustion burned out. Then when he placed a mint plant under the dome he saw that it sustained and kept growing by creating its own oxygen. Later a Dutch physician, Jan Ingenhousz in 1779 based upon Priestley’s work concluded that the process involved using light energy to create a sustainable environment for the plant. Thus the process was discovered.

Chloroplast-The photosynthetic units found in green plants

The photosynthesis process takes place within the chloroplast found in green plants. The green color of the plants exists due to the presence of the chloroplast as well. Chloroplasts convert the light energy into sugars that are used by plant cells that help them grow and sustain themselves. The green chlorophyll molecules that are present in each chloroplast perform this process.

Factors that affect the Photosynthesis Process

The rate of the photosynthesis process can be defined by the rate of oxygen produced per unit mass/area of green plant tissues per unit weight of the chlorophyll in total. The rate of photosynthesis process is affected by the temperature, the water and carbon dioxide supply and the availability of mineral compounds like nitrogen, magnesium and potassium etc.