Plant Life-II (How Plants Make Food)
Category : 4th Class
Plant Life - II (How Plants Make Food)
Synopsis
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Tit Bits
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The atmosphere contains very, very little carbon dioxide, plant get most of it from, animals who breathe it out. It from animals who breathe it out.
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Photosynthesis is the only process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the air and oxygen is added to it.
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- Plants can make food on their own. Food is manufactured in the leaves. Hence, leaves are also called food factories of the plant.
- The roots of the plant take in water and mineral salts from the soil and the stem carries them to leaves. The leaves have tiny openings called stomata, through which the exchange of gases takes place.
- The green leaves contain a green pigment called Plants take in water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air and combine them to form sugar and oxygen in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight. \[carbon\,dioxide+water~\xrightarrow[Chlorophyll]{Sun\,\,light}+\text{ }oxygen\] Chlorophyll
- The reaction takes place only in the presence of light. 'Photo' means light and synthesis means to put together.
- Water, food and minerals are distributed through a network of veins.
- The plant uses some of its food for daily activities and stores the extra food as starch in the roots, stems, leaves, fruits, seeds or sometimes even flowers of the plant.
- When a food material rich in starch is treated with iodine solution, the solution is turned blue-black. This test indicates the presence of starch.
- Some non-green plants get their food from dead and decaying plants.
- In some plants like cactus the leaves are reduced to spines. Hence, the stem performs photosynthesis. Cacti are adapted to survive in deserts.
