Respiration vs Photosynthesis
9SCIE - Plants as Producers
Finn Le Sueur
2024
Recall: Respiration
The chemical process through which animal cells create energy.
Note: animals must eat other things to get sugar (glucose) for
respiration.
\[
\begin{aligned}
sugar + oxygen &\rightarrow \text{carbon dioxide} + water
\newline
C_{6}H_{12}O_{6} + 6O_{2} &\rightarrow 6CO_{2} + 6H_{2}O
\end{aligned}
\]
Photosynthesis & Producers
Producer: An organism that makes its own energy (does not need to
consume others).
Photosynthesis: The process of turning carbon dioxide and water into
sugar.
\[
\begin{aligned}
\text{carbon dioxide} + water &\xrightarrow{light} oxygen +
sugar \newline
6CO_{2} + 6H_{2}O &\xrightarrow{light} 6O_{2} + C_{6}H_{12}O_{6}
\end{aligned}
\]
It’s the opposite of respiration! We need plants and plants need
us.
Pātai
- This graph shows plant growth throughout the year.
What hemisphere is this plant growing in? How do you know that?
- Why does the plant not grow much during the winter
months?
- What is happening in May/June to cause the growth
rate to increase?
![]()
Whakatika
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- It is growing in the Northern Hemisphere, we know
this because it grows the most during June/July which is their
midsummer.
- It does not grow much during winter because there
is less sun AND because it has shed it’s leaves (it is deciduous NOT
evergreen).
- It is growing more leaves so that it can do more
photosynthesis and grow taller.
