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Plants need food to respire, grow and reproduce. Unlike animals, plants are able to make their own food by the process of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis takes place in the part of the plant cell containing chloroplasts, these are small structures that contain chlorophyll.

For photosynthesis to take place, plants need to take in carbon dioxide (from the air), water (from the ground) and light (usually from the sun).

Here is the word equation for photosynthesis:

Here is the chemical equation for photosynthesis:

Carbon dioxide enters through the stomata on the underside of the leaf.

Water is absorbed by the root hair cells and is transported to the leaf by the xylem vessels.

Sunlight provides the energy needed for photosynthesis to take place. In this process carbon dioxide and water are converted into oxygen (a waste product that is released back into the air) and glucose (the source of energy for the plant).

Oxygen is released through the stomata on the underside of the leaf; glucose is transported around the plant in the phloem vessels.