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Apuntes

• Subtopic: Plant Nutrition All living organisms need to take in various substances, known as nutrients, into their bodies. Some of these nutrients are used to create new parts or repair old ones, while others are used to release energy. This process of taking in useful substances is called nutrition. In Chapter 4, we discussed several important groups of biological molecules, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and DNA. These are all organic substances. Animals cannot produce these organic substances themselves and must obtain them as nutrients through their diet. However, plants can synthesize these organic nutrients from inorganic substances. They use carbon dioxide, water, and mineral ions, which they absorb from the air and soil. The process by which they produce carbohydrates is called photosynthesis, meaning 'making with light.' • Subtopic: Chlorophyll and Photosynthesis In the chloroplasts of a plant’s leaves, water and carbon dioxide react to form carbohydrates and oxygen. If you were to shine light on a mixture of carbon dioxide and water without the presence of a plant, no carbohydrates or oxygen would form. What makes a plant's leaves special is the presence of...