Plants are autotrophic organisms

Plants are autotrophic organisms because they have the incredible ability to produce their own food, this differentiates them from animals and other living beings that need to consume other organisms to obtain energy, these are called heterotrophs. Plants make their own food through a process called photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is a fundamental process for life on earth and is the reason why plants are considered autotrophic organisms. It is a process by which plants, algae and some bacteria use the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose (a type of sugar) and oxygen, glucose serves as food for the plant and oxygen is released into the air. Photosynthesis takes place in specialized structures inside plant cells called chloroplasts.According to Azcon and Talon (2008), these contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which is essential for capturing the energy of sunlight.

In this same order of ideas and in relation to what was pointed out by the aforementioned researchers, the process begins when a plant captures the solar lu, chlorophyll absorbs sunlight, mainly red and blue light. the energy of light is used to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a molecule that stores energy, water is decomposed into oxygen and protons (hydrogen ions), oxygen is released into the air and protons are used in the following stages, in addition the carbon dioxide of the air combines with protons and ATP to form glucose.

The process of photosynthesis helps us to produce food, the glucose produced in photosynthesis is the basis of plant nutrition and, therefore, of the entire food chain, in addition to the production of oxygen, since the oxygen released during photosynthesis is essential for the respiration of most living beings and last but not least maintains the ecological balance, since, thanks to photosynthesis, plants are maintained and these help to regulate the climate, prevent soil erosion and maintain biodiversity.

Dear readers,, in summary plants are autotrophic thanks to photosynthesis, a process that allows them to transform solar energy into food, this ability makes them the basis of life on earth and fundamental organisms for the balance of our planet. photosynthesis is a vitally important biological process that converts light energy into chemical energy, allowing plants to produce their own food and releasing oxygen into the environment.

In order for plants to carry out this process, they need chlorophyll, which is a green pigment present in the leaves that captures the energy of sunlight, sunlight as an energy source for the entire process, water absorbed by the roots and transported to the leaves and carbon dioxide obtained from the air through small pores in the leaves called stomata.