Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and bacteria use the light energy to produce nutrients

from carbon dioxide and water. Without green plants performing photosynthesis there would be no
way for nature to replace all the oxygen being consumed in processes such as respiration and
combustion. Furthermore the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would increase. Thus,
photosynthesis is important in maintaining the balance of atmospheric gases as well as food
production.

CO2 + H20 -> C6H12O6 + O2

The raw materials of photosynthesis, water and carbon dioxide, enter the cells of the leaf, and the
products of photosynthesis, sugar and oxygen, leave the leaf.

Water enters the root and is transported up to the leaves through specialized plant cells known as
xylem vessels. Land plants must guard against drying out and so have evolved specialized structures
known as stomata to allow gas to enter and leave the leaf. Carbon dioxide cannot pass through the
protective waxy layer covering the leaf (cuticle), but it can enter the leaf through the stoma (the
singular of stomata), flanked by two guard cells. Likewise, oxygen produced during photosynthesis
can only pass out of the leaf through the opened stomata.

A leaf is an above-ground plant organ and is made up of several parts. Its main functions are
photosynthesis and gas exchange. The leaf is attached to the plant by a petiole in such a way to
maximise the absorption of light.

The cuticle is a waxy, waterproof layer secreted by the epidermis which cuts down the water lost by
evaporation and protects against parasitic fungi.

The upper epidermis is a single layer of cells that are transparent and contain no chloroplast allowing
light to pass straight through. The lower epidermis contains lots of tiny holes or pores called stomata
at regular intervals. These allow gases to diffuse in and out of the leaf.

The palisade layer is made up of palisade cells which contain chloroplasts. This is where most of the
photosynthesis takes place. They are long cylinders arranged perpendicular to the upper epidermis.
This reduces the number of light absorbing cross walls in the upper part of the leaf so that as much
light as possible can reach the chloroplast. They also have thin cell walls which allow for easy
gaseous exchange.

The vein contains tubes called the xylem and phloem. The xylem brings water and salts to the leaf
for photosynthesis. The phloem transports the dissolved foods produced away. These veins also help
support the large surface area of the leaf.

The spongy mesophyll layer consists of irregularly shaped cells with large air spaces between them
allowing gas exchange (diffusion) between stomata and photosynthesising cells. Being more
concerned with gaseous exchange these cells have less chloroplasts than the palisade cells and
photosynthesis typically only occurs here at high light intensities