Photosynthesis

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-020937",
  "term": "Photosynthesis",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. The manufacture by plants of carbohydrates and oxygen from carbon dioxide mediated by chlorophyll in the presence of sunlight.\n\n2. (foe-tow-SIN-thus-sis) A process in which organisms, with the aid of chlorophyll (green plant enzyme), convert carbon dioxide and inorganic substances into oxygen and additional plant material, using sunlight for energy. All green plants grow by this process.\n\n3. The process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen. These carbohydrates are used as energy by the plants or by organisms that consume the plants. Photosynthesis is also called primary production.\n\n4. The process that plants use to convert sunlight to energy to live and grow.\n\n5. The process by which green plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make food and other substances that they use to grow. In the process, plants release oxygen into the air.\n\n6. The process by which plants take CO₂ from the air (or bicarbonate in water) to build carbohydrates, releasing O2 in the process. There are several pathways of photosynthesis with different responses to atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. See carbon sequestration, carbon dioxide fertilization.\n\n7. Complex process that takes place in living green plant cells. Radiant energy from the sun is used to combine carbon dioxide (CO₂)and water (H₂O) to produce oxygen (O₂) and simple nutrient molecules, such as glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆).",
  "subject": "Climate change",
  "see_also": [
    "Primary production"
  ],
  "references": [
    "Watershed Protection Glossary; Terms of Environment",
    "Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms",
    "Chesapeake Bay Glossary",
    "Acid Rain Glossary",
    "Student's Guide to Global Climate Change",
    "Glossary of Climate Change Terms",
    "Greenhouse Gas Emissions"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/photosynthesis/"
}