Ask a Teacher

Plants make their own food out of inorganic compounds through a process called photosynthesis that takes place in the leaves. The ingredients necessary for photosynthesis are light, water and carbon dioxide. The rate of photosynthesis will be affected by the amount of these ingredients available, as well as the temperature. The end products of photosynthesis are oxygen, which the plants release, and carbohydrates, which become the plants' source of energy. Building on the basic structure of glucose, plants also use photosynthesis to create several more complex carbon-based chemicals essential to their growth and survival.