Unit 1: Photosynthesis and the Carbon Cycle

Lesson 1.1: Photosynthesis

Plants make their own food. Due to this reason they are called Producers or Autotrophs.
Photosynthesis is a chemical process through which plants make their own food.
Photosynthesis is a Greek word combination of two words Photo means light and Synthesis
means to make.
Photosynthesis means to make _________ in the present of light.
In photosynthesis, plant use;
 Water, which they get from soil through roots.
 Carbon dioxide, which they get from air.
 Energy, which they get from sunlight. Energy is captured by a green pigment, called
chlorophyll.
Photosynthesis is carried out in the leaves of a plant.
Word Equation:
Carbon dioxide + water Glucose + Oxygen
Refer to Learner’s Book to investigate collection of gas using water plant + workbook.
Light Intensity: is the measure of the amount of light energy available to an organism, typically
expressed as the energy per unit area over a period of time.
Photosynthesis occurs excellently or maximum in Red Light.
Photosynthesis also occurs good in Blue light.
Green light doesn’t support photosynthesis significantly as it is mostly Reflected by leaves. But
the green color of leaves is due to reflection of green light.
Refer to Workbook Exercise for the Intensity of light.
Similarities and Differences between Photosynthesis and Respiration
Photosynthesis Similarities Respiration
occurs in plants, algae, and Both involve the conversion All living organisms.
some bacteria. of energy from one form to
another
Takes place in chloroplast. Both take place in specialized Occurs in Mitochondria.
organelles
Use CO2, H2O and light Both involve the exchange of Use glucose, oxygen and
gases energy.
Release oxygen. Release carbon dioxide.
Importance of Photosynthesis:
photosynthesis provides energy, in the form of chemical energy in nutrients, for all other
organisms. Plants use the energy in sunlight to make glucose and other carbohydrates. These
carbohydrates contain some of the energy that was originally in the sunlight. The second reason
that photosynthesis is so important is that it provides oxygen for the Earth’s atmosphere.
Animals and plants, of course, need oxygen for respiration. Oxygen is a waste product of
photosynthesis. It is released from the leaves of plants and mixes with the other gases in the
atmosphere. About 20% of the air around us is oxygen.

Lesson 1.2: More About Photosynthesis

CHLOROPLAST AND CHLOROPHYLL
Chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis. It captures energy from sunlight. The energy helps
water and carbon dioxide to react together.
Chlorophyll is present in the chloroplast found inside plant cell. Photosynthesis occurs in
chloroplast. Not all plant cell has chloroplast. In most of the plants, cells in the leaves have most
chloroplast.
On warm, sunny days, plants can make more carbohydrate than they need to use immediately.
So, they store some it for use later on – perhaps at night, or at a time of year when there is less
sunlight. Plants store carbohydrates as starch because starch is insoluble and complex
carbohydrate. They store the starch inside the chloroplasts in their cells. One way to check
whether a leaf has been photosynthesizing is to test it for starch called IODINE TEST FOR
STARCH.
Refer to Workbook Exercise Questions for Iodine TEST FOR STARCH
Inside a Leaf
Photosynthesis happens inside chloroplasts, which are inside some of the cells in a leaf.
chloroplasts are mostly inside the cells in the middle layers of the leaf. Palisade layer of cells
have more chloroplast than the spongy layer of cells. Leaves are very thin, so it is easy for
sunlight to reach these cells. Carbon dioxide diffuses into the leaf from the air.
There are tiny holes in the leaf, which allow gases to diffuse in and out. These holes are called
stomata (singular: stoma). The gases can easily diffuse through the air spaces between the cells
inside the leaf. Lower surface of leaf has more stomata than the upper surface of leaf.
Minerals and Plant Growth
Farmers add fertilizer to their fields because it makes the crops grow larger and produce a higher
yield. Yield is the quantity of crop that the farmer harvests. Fertilizers contain minerals. plants
need only quite small quantities of minerals. They get these minerals from the soil, through their
roots. Two important minerals for plants are magnesium and nitrate.
 Magnesium (Mg) Plant cannot grow well,
because it does not have
needed to make the green pigment, Nitrate contains nitrogen atoms.
much chlorophyll to
chlorophyll. If a plant does not have These are needed so that the plant
absorb energy. Without
enough magnesium, its leaves look can convert carbohydrates to
enough nitrogen, leaves
yellow instead of green. proteins. Proteins are essential for
die and the plant stays
making new cells, so that the plant
small from sunlight.
can grow well.
Nitrogen is also needed
to make chlorophyll.

Farmers who can afford the latest technology can use global positioning satellites (GPS) with
their machinery.
Refer Workbook Duckweed Exercise.
Lesson 1.3: Carbon Cycle
Carbon is an element. The symbol for carbon is C. Carbon is a non-metal. It occurs naturally in
different forms.
Diamonds are made of carbon. The ‘lead’ in a pencil is not lead at all - it is another form of the
element carbon, called graphite.
Organisms cannot use carbon in the form of an element. They can only use it when it is part of a
compound. Carbon is part of many different compounds that make up cells. Carbohydrates,
proteins and fats are all compounds that contain carbon.
Plants use the carbohydrates to make proteins and fats. All of these nutrients are compounds that
contain carbon atoms. We are animals, so we get all of these carbon-containing nutrients when
we eat plants or other animals. Decomposers get their carbon when they break down waste
products from plants and animals.
 Returning Carbon Dioxide to the Air
A lot of the carbon dioxide that plants take from the air eventually goes back into the air again.
This happens when plants and animal respire. All organisms respire. Plants respire all the time.
At night, when they cannot photosynthesize, they give out carbon dioxide. Decomposers respire,
too. As they break down waste products from plants and animals, they release carbon dioxide
into the air.
Fossil Fuels and Combustion
Combustion: the chemical process in which substances mix with oxygen in
the air to produce heat and light.
Fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources, including coal, oil, and natural gas, formed from
the decayed remains of prehistoric plants and animals over millions of years under intense heat
and pressure.
 Changing dead organisms to fossil fuels takes a very long time. Most of the fossil fuels that we
use on Earth today Changing dead organisms to fossil fuels takes a very long time. Most of the
fossil fuels that we use on Earth today were formed hundreds of millions of years ago. were
formed hundreds of millions of years ago. Oil and natural gas formed when tiny marine
organisms died and fell to the sea bed.

 Coal: A combustible rock formed from ancient plant material.

 Petroleum (Oil): A liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, used to create gasoline, lubricants, and other
products.

 Natural Gas: A gas primarily composed of methane, formed similarly to oil.

Due to release of more Carbon dioxide from the combustion, respiration the global temperature
is rising which also increases the rate of decomposition and releases more CO2.

Refer to Workbook

Lesson 1.4: Climate Change

Green House
In science, the term "greenhouse" refers to the greenhouse effect, a natural process where gases
in Earth's atmosphere, called greenhouse gases, trap heat from the sun, warming the planet and
making it habitable.
Green House Gases:
Major GHGs include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O),
and synthetic fluorinated gases.
Carbon dioxide and methane are ‘greenhouse gases. Without any carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere at all, the Earth would be a frozen place, unable to support life.
Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are increasing. This is affecting the climate on Earth.
Climate Change in the Past
Climate is the long-term pattern of temperatures, wind and rainfall on Earth. The Earth’s climate
has been very different in the past compared to the climate today.
Examples:
Ice Ages: About 2 billion years ago, the Earth experienced the first ice age that we know about.
Since then, the Earth has cycled between relatively warm periods and relatively cold ones. In the
warm periods, there was no ice at all, even at the poles. In the colder periods, called ice ages,
there was ice at the poles.
Snow Ball Earth: On at least one occasion, perhaps about 650 million years ago, the whole Earth
was covered with ice and snow. Scientists call this ‘snowball Earth’, or sometimes ‘slush-ball
Earth’, because they are not sure whether everything was completely frozen. (Slush is melting
ice.)
Asteroids Colliding with Each Other
470 million years ago, scientists think that two asteroids collided with one another when they
were in space, somewhere in-between Earth and Mars.
The collision produced huge quantities of dust. The dust reduced the amount of light and heat
from the Sun reaching the Earth’s surface. This triggered an ice age. The Earth became much
colder – the ice caps spread much further from the poles and sea level fell.
Asteroids Colliding with EARTH
67 million years ago, an asteroid collided with Earth. Researchers have identified an area on the
coast of Mexico where the asteroid impact took place. There was huge devastation close to
where the asteroid fell. The dust in the air meant that less light reached the Earth’s surface.
Plants could not photosynthesize, so animals had less food.
many other species on Earth, were destroyed as a result of the climate change following the
asteroid collision. The asteroid caused a mass extinction. Up to 75% of all the species on Earth
that were alive at that time are thought to have become extinct because of the asteroid collision.
There are about 175 known asteroid impact craters around the world.
Objects in space that are smaller than an asteroid are called meteoroids.
When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere they are called meteors.
The parts of meteoroids that do collide with Earth are called meteorites. Around 500 of these
reach Earth’s surface each year.
Some people call meteors shooting stars because they appear like stars moving very fast across
the sky. They usually present little risk because they burn in the atmosphere due to heat from
friction. Some large ones can create shockwaves; in 2013 a meteor exploded over Russia
and shattered windows.
If an object is large enough, it can cause local damage, or even damage that affects the whole
planet.
In 1998, scientists started making detailed observations of objects that could possibly cause
damage to Earth. When assessing the possible risk to Earth, scientists look at:
 the mass or diameter of the asteroid the closest possible approach to Earth.
 An asteroid passing further from Earth may be a greater risk than one passing closer if its
mass is greater.
Climate change today and in the future
the mean temperatures on Earth are increasing. This is caused by an increase in carbon dioxide
concentration in the atmosphere. Remember that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, which traps
heat energy close to the Earth’s surface. When carbon dioxide concentrations increase, more heat
is trapped.
Impacts of climate change
 More extreme weather events
 Less predictable rainfall
 Rising sea levels
More extreme weather events
The higher temperatures mean that there is more energy in the atmosphere. This increases the
chance of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and typhoons.
Less predictable rainfall
The changing climate is also making it more difficult for people in some parts of the world to
grow crops. Rains may come late, or might not come at all. Or rain may fall when it doesn’t
normally fall – or fall much more heavily, causing flooding.
When rains fail, people may lose their harvests. Long droughts also increase the risk of wildfires.
All of these changes affect not only people, but also plants and animals.
Rising sea levels
The increase in the Earth’s mean temperature affects sea level. Water expands as it is heated, so
if the sea temperature increases, sea level rises. Melting ice caps and glaciers add extra water to
the oceans. This glacier is getting smaller (retreating) as temperatures increase. The ice used to
reach much higher up the sides of the valley.
Sea level has been rising at a rate of about 3 mm per year. Scientists estimate that more than 600
million people are at risk from flooding caused by sea level rise by the end of this century.
one global action to fight climate change, which would have the largest impact is to transition
from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources like wind miles, solar energy used in solar
panels, water turbines and many others.

Answer CHECK your Progress for self-assessment.