Doug Dawson
Well-Known Member
Wow, so you are to lazy to click a link and just want me to type it all out for you? Somehow my typed words are easier for you than that on another page? Fine, here you go.You still can't explain what they do in their dark period.
Photosynthesis involves three main elements: light energy, water and carbon dioxide. Plants use sunlight to metabolize carbon dioxide in the environment and the water they take up from the soil. In doing so, they essentially produce carbon and oxygen compounds. They then use the carbon as energy to grow and release oxygen back into the atmosphere.
Whereas photosynthesis breaks down the compounds in water and carbon dioxide, respiration essentially rebuilds them. Rather than separating carbon molecules from water and carbon dioxide, plants will respire to recreate these compounds from the carbon they have stored from photosynthesis and the oxygen in the air.
Most plants automatically store the energy they produce during the day in order to get through the night. Most plants store this energy as starch. They then gradually metabolize this energy during the night, before producing more of it once the next day begins. Hence, the night is actually a really important time for plants, as it is when they naturally metabolize the energy they’ve worked so hard to create during the day.