Science Chapter 01: Nutrition in Plants

All organisms need food and utilise it to get energy for growth and maintenance of their body. Green plants synthesise food for themselves by the process of photosynthesis. They are autotrophs.

Plants like Cuscuta are parasites. They take food from the host plant.

Plants use simple chemical substances like carbon dioxide, water and minerals for the synthesis of food. Chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide and sunlight are the essential requirements for photosynthesis. Complex chemical substances such as carbohydrates are the products of photosynthesis.

Solar energy is absorbed by the chlorophylls present in leaves or plants. Oxygen is produced during photosynthesis. Oxygen released in photosynthesis is utilised by living organisms for their survival.

Many fungi derive nutrition from dead and decaying matter. They are saprotrophs.

A few plants and all animals are dependent on others for their nutrition and are called heterotrophs.