Inside a leaf: how photosynthesis works
Leaf anatomy, then the light reactions and the Calvin cycle that turn light, water and CO2 into glucose.
Transcript
A leaf is layered. A waxy cuticle and the epidermis protect it from above.
Below, palisade cells packed with chloroplasts catch light, and stomata let gases in and out.
Veins carry water up in the xylem, and sugar away in the phloem.
Inside a chloroplast, chlorophyll absorbs light and splits water, releasing oxygen.
That energy is stored as A T P and N A D P H for the next stage.
In the Calvin cycle, carbon dioxide is captured and built up using that energy.
The result is glucose, a sugar the plant uses for energy and growth.
In total, light, water and carbon dioxide become glucose and oxygen.
Photosynthesis stores light energy as sugar, and respiration releases it again. Together, they power life.
