Plant primitive plants lacking some tissue types. Plants are photosynthetic, which means that they manufacture their own food molecules using energy obtained from light. The primary mechanism plants have for capturing light energy is the pigment chlorophyll. All green plants contain two forms of chlorophyll, chlorophyll "a" and chlorophyll "b". The latter of these pigments is not found in red or brown algae. The simple equation of photosynthesis is as follows:- 6CO + 6HO → (in the presence of light and chlorophyll) CHO + 6O By means of cells that behave like nerves, plants receive and distribute within their systems information
Photosynthesis chlorophyll fluorometers. Actual plants' photosynthetic efficiency varies with the frequency of the light being converted, light intensity, temperature and proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and can vary from 0.1% to 8%. By comparison, solar panels convert light into electric energy at an efficiency of approximately 6–20% for mass-produced panels, and above 40% in laboratory devices. The efficiency of both light and dark reactions can be measured but the relationship between the two can be complex. For example, the ATP and NADPH energy molecules, created by the light reaction, can be used for carbon fixation or for photorespiration in