Plants use energy from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide to produce a type of sugar called glucose, which they use as food.
It is a common misconception that plants can breathe. While the process plants use is much like breathing, plants do not have lungs or a blood stream. Instead, plants use a process called photosynthesis to produce energy.
Let’s look at what occurs during the process of photosynthesis.
The roots of a plant act like little straws as they take in water and nutrients from soil. The water and nutrients are then transported to the leaves of the plant. Leaves are like little factories. They take in carbon dioxide from the air, as well as energy from sunlight.
Plants use the sun’s energy, along with carbon dioxide and water, to produce a type of sugar called glucose. The plant then uses glucose as its source of energy, so that it can grow and carry out the processes it needs in order to live.
A byproduct of photosynthesis is oxygen. Because plants do not use oxygen, they release it back into the air for animals and humans to breathe.
