How do plants get their food?

Do you know that without the Sun and plants, you will not even be able to make a hotdog bun?

If you trace the food source, you will discover that most of the food comes from plants, directly or indirectly. This is true for plant-eaters (herbivores) and meat-eaters (carnivores).

Then where do plants get their food? Plants can make their own food using light energy in a process called photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the natural process by which plants use chlorophyll in their leaves to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide and convert it to sugar in the presence of sunlight. The roots of plants absorb water and minerals from the soil and their leaves absorb a gas called Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) from the air. They convert these ingredients into food by using energy from sunlight.

Chlorophyll

Most leaves are green because they contain a green pigment called chlorophyll. It is the chlorophyll that enables the leaves to trap sunlight. The plant uses the light energy trapped by the chlorophll to make food.

Stomata

On a leave surface, there are many tiny openings called stomata which enables the gas (Carbon Dioxide) to enter the leave. Another gas, Oxygen, is produced during photosynthesis.

Oxygen

During photosynthesis, another gas, called Oxygen, is produced. Oxygen (O₂ ) is not used by the plant and leaves through the stomata. Oxygen is essential to human and animals.

Can plants make food with artificial light?

Photosynthesis can take place in artificial light if the plant is exposed to the correct wavelength of light. Certain colors or wavelengths of light are more important for plant growth than others. Leaves reflect and derive little energy from the yellow and green wavelengths of the visible spectrum. In contrast, the red and blue wavelengths of the light spectrum are the most important energy sources for plants.

Think about it

Did you realise that this world has a certain order that sustain life on earth? Plants make food and in the process, Oxygen that is essential to living creatures is produced.

Sunlight is essential to sustain life on earth but sunlight is not the only source of light that will enable plants to make food. This is the reason why God need not have to make the Sun first, However, He has to make the Light and the Atmosphere before He made the plants.