Why do plants require sunlight

Suggestions or feedback? Previous image Next image. Plants rely on the energy in sunlight to produce the nutrients they need. But sometimes they absorb more energy than they can use, and that excess can damage critical proteins. To protect themselves, they convert the excess energy into heat and send it back out. Under some conditions, they may reject as much as 70 percent of all the solar energy they absorb. Indeed, scientists estimate that algae could grow as much as 30 percent more material for use as biofuel.

More importantly, the world could increase crop yields — a change needed to prevent the significant shortfall between agricultural output and demand for food expected by The challenge has been to figure out exactly how the photoprotection system in plants works at the molecular level, in the first picoseconds of the photosynthesis process. A picosecond is a trillionth of a second. Critical to the first steps of photosynthesis are proteins called light-harvesting complexes, or LHCs.

When sunlight strikes a leaf, each photon particle of light delivers energy that excites an LHC. That excitation passes from one LHC to another until it reaches a so-called reaction center, where it drives chemical reactions that split water into oxygen gas, which is released, and positively charged particles called protons, which remain.

If proton buildup indicates that too much sunlight is being harvested, the LHCSR flips the switch, and some of the energy is dissipated as heat. When a passing cloud or flock of birds blocks the sun, it could switch it off and soak up all the available sunlight. As a result, plants reject a lot of energy that they could be using to build more plant material. Much research has focused on the quenching mechanism that regulates the flow of energy within a leaf to prevent damage.

Optimized by 3. First, it can deal with wildly varying energy inputs. And it can react to changes that occur slowly over time — say, at sunrise — and those that happen in just seconds, for example, due to a passing cloud. Researchers agree that one key to quenching is a pigment within the LHCSR — called a carotenoid — that can take two forms: violaxanthin Vio and zeaxanthin Zea. Like humans and animals, plants need both water and nutrients food to survive.

Most all plants use water to carry moisture and nutrients back and forth between the roots and leaves. Water, as well as nutrients, is normally taken up through the roots from the soil.

Although all green plants make their food by photosynthesis, they also need to get nutrients from the soil. These dissolve in water and are taken up by the roots of the plant. The most important plant nutrients are nitrogen N , phosphorous P , and potassium K. Lemon juice is a natural weed killer. Lemon juice has the same damaging effect as acid rain splashing over green growth.

Yet, as harmful as this citrusy liquid can be to healthy plants, gardeners hail it as a weed killer that is ecologically friendly, effective and inexpensive. Depending on its use, lemon juice can be friend or foe to foliage. Pure lemon juice will kill a plant, but when mixed with water, you can see the effects of acid rain on your plants.

Further diluted with water, lemon juice can benefit acid-loving plants like citrus. Plants need three basic things to live: sunlight , water, and carbon dioxide. Water, air, light, soil nutrients, and the correct temperature for the right plants are the most basic factors to make a plant grow faster and bigger.

Plants need air, light, warmth , water and nutrients to be healthy. For example, a plant that is kept in a dark place will grow tall and spindly in search of light and then become weak and die. Soil is a substrate for plants to grow in. Plants can grow without soil , but they will need structures to support them, the correct amount of water and air to their roots, and ample nutrients. Plant material keeps soil healthy.

The most important nutrients for plants growing needs are nitrogen N , phosphorus P , and potassium K. Plants are notoriously adept at absorbing gases through pores on the surface of their leaves.

It's this skill that facilitates photosynthesis , the process by which plants convert light energy and carbon dioxide into chemical energy to fuel growth. Rossy Cherupara Explainer. Why is photosynthesis important? Photosynthesis is plants taking in water, carbon dioxide, and light to make sugar and oxygen.

This is important because all living things need oxygen to survive. All producers make oxygen and sugar for the secondary consumers and then the carnivores eat animals that eat the plants.

Soumiya Schatz Explainer. Why do plants need energy? First of all, plants can create the energy by own. To do that, plants need water and sun to make their own food energy called: Photosynthesis.

They need energy because they are living things. Living things require energy to carry out a number of processes, including growth and reproduction. Rupinder Fedchenkov Explainer. Why do we need plants? Plants are really important for the planet and for all living things. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen from their leaves, which humans and other animals need to breathe.

Living things need plants to live - they eat them and live in them. Plants help to clean water too. Rongsheng Nauleau Pundit. Why do plants need light? Jeanmarie Juravliov Pundit. What is photosynthesis formula? Shaista Petzschke Pundit. Can plants survive without sunlight? All plants can survive for short periods without light.