Plant Research Essay
In my essay i will talk about everything you need to know about plants. Things such as photosynthesis, water transport, basic parts of a plant, comparing plants such as angiosperm vs. gymnosperm, nutrients needed for the plants, plant growth, seed development, and more. After reading this essay you should know a lot of background information on plants. Also i will be explaining a little about my experiment that i am conducting on seed germination.
First i am going to talk about photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can create their own food. In plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water, releasing oxygen as a waste product. Photosynthesis is vital for all aerobic life on Earth. In addition to maintaining normal levels of oxygen in the atmosphere, photosynthesis is the source of energy for nearly all life on earth, either directly, through primary production, or indirectly, as the ultimate source of the energy in their food (Wikipedia, 2011).
Although photosynthesis can happen in different ways in different species, some features are always the same. For example, the process always begins when energy from light is absorbed by proteins called photosynthetic reaction centers that contain chlorophylls. In plants, these proteins are held inside organelles called chloroplasts, while in bacteria they are embedded in the plasma membrane(Wkipedia, 2011).
Next i am going to explain the transport in water and minerals in a plant. The path that is taken for the water and minerals to get through the plant starts with soil, then goes through the roots, stems, and leaves. The minerals then travel through the water because...