Key Idea.
Section 1
Gathering Materials from the Environment
To keep growing, a plant must constantly gather materials from its surroundings. This happens in two places. Underground, the root system works to pull in water. Above ground, tiny openings on the leaves open up to let in air.
Through these openings, the plant takes in carbon dioxide. By collecting these materials from the soil and the atmosphere, the plant gathers the raw components it needs to make food.
Section 2
Rearranging Molecules
Inside the plant, the water and gas molecules don't stay the same. The plant acts like a chemist. It takes these molecules apart and rearranges them to form new patterns.
By changing how the atoms are connected, the plant turns simple water and gas into complex sugars and plant structures. This shows that plants are not just holding water; they are chemically changing it into new substances.
Section 3
Building a Solid Body
The final result of this process is a solid plant body. The sugar produced from air and water is used to build the hard trunk of a tree or the soft stem of a flower.
This explains how a plant gains weight. The mass of the air and water is converted into the mass of the plant. The plant literally builds itself out of the air it breathes and the water it drinks.
Expand to review the lesson summary and core properties.
Section 1
Gathering Materials from the Environment
To keep growing, a plant must constantly gather materials from its surroundings. This happens in two places. Underground, the root system works to pull in water. Above ground, tiny openings on the leaves open up to let in air.
Through these openings, the plant takes in carbon dioxide. By collecting these materials from the soil and the atmosphere, the plant gathers the raw components it needs to make food.
Section 2
Rearranging Molecules
Inside the plant, the water and gas molecules don't stay the same. The plant acts like a chemist. It takes these molecules apart and rearranges them to form new patterns.
By changing how the atoms are connected, the plant turns simple water and gas into complex sugars and plant structures. This shows that plants are not just holding water; they are chemically changing it into new substances.
Section 3
Building a Solid Body
The final result of this process is a solid plant body. The sugar produced from air and water is used to build the hard trunk of a tree or the soft stem of a flower.
This explains how a plant gains weight. The mass of the air and water is converted into the mass of the plant. The plant literally builds itself out of the air it breathes and the water it drinks.