What is the process by which plants convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into sugars?

Photosynthesis is the process through which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose (a type of sugar) using sunlight as an energy source. This process occurs primarily in the chloroplasts of plant cells, where chlorophyll captures solar energy. The overall chemical reaction can be simplified into the equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + 6O2.

During photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through small openings in their leaves called stomata. At the same time, roots take up water from the soil. The sunlight energizes the chlorophyll, facilitating the transformation of these raw materials into glucose, which serves as energy for the plant’s growth and maintenance. Oxygen is released as a byproduct, which is essential for the respiration of most living organisms.

In contrast, respiration refers to the metabolic processes that convert glucose and oxygen into energy for the plant, transpiration involves the loss of water vapor from plants, and fermentation is an anaerobic process that breaks down sugars without oxygen, producing byproducts like alcohol or lactic acid. Each of these processes plays a distinct role in plant biology, but they do not describe the conversion of