READ: Energy from the Sun

Summary

• All the energy used by living things on earth came from the process of photosynthesis.
• During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water combine with solar energy to create glucose and oxygen.

Vocabulary

• autotroph: Organism that produces complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules using a source of energy such as sunlight.
• chloroplast: Organelle that carries out photosynthesis in plants.
• glucose: Simple sugar with the chemical formula C₆H₁₂O₆; a product of photosynthesis.
• heterotroph: Organism which obtains carbon from outside sources.
• photosynthesis: Process by which specific organisms (including all plants) use the sun's energy to make their own food from carbon dioxide and water; process that converts the energy of the sun, or solar energy, into carbohydrates, a type of chemical energy.
• producer: Organism that produces food (glucose) for itself and other organisms.

CK-12 Foundation, Physical Science. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/