Community Magazine October 2019

TISHREI 5780 OCTOBER 2019 103 EFRAIM HARARI The Jewish World of Wonders Productions can be contacted at: JWorldofWonders@hotmail.com PELEH THE BOY WONDER IS PRESENTED BY: IF YOU HAVE a QUESTION for PELEH the BOY WONDER, send it to: Ask@Communitym.com It’s easy to think that plants are helpless. They don’t seem to do much of anything. They stay in one place, and they don’t seem to hunt, hide, jump, fly, or communicate with other living things. But plants have a secret! Unlike people and animals, most plants do not need to find food, because they can make it for themselves. Plants use energy from sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into an energy-rich sugar called glucose, which is their “food.” This process is called photosynthesis. How do plants feed themselves? Photosynthesis takes place inside the green leaves of the plant. During photosynthesis, plant leaves take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Using energy from sunlight, the plant combines this carbon dioxide with the water it draws up from its roots, and thus glucose is created for the plant. Oxygen is also released by the plant during photosynthesis. This is beneficial for us, since oxygen is the main gas that we breathe! Extra food that the plant doesn’t use right away is stored in its leaves for later use. Ingenious! How Does PHOTOSYNTHESIS Work? Leaves cannot perform photosynthesis without chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a pigment that absorbs light. Leaf cells are full of organelles called chloroplasts, which contain chlorophyll. Even when a plant has plenty of chloroplasts, it still needs the following in order to perform photosynthesis: Carbon Dioxide: This gas enters through pores called stomata, which are located on the underside of the leaf. Water: This is absorbed by the roots and sent up to the leaves through the xylem part (veins) of the plant’s vascular tissue. Sunlight: The sun provides the energy that makes the whole process run! It’s All Greek to Me! The word photosynthesis comes from the Greek language and means “putting together with light.” BOTANY 101 Most plants start their life as a seed. A seed contains all of the information necessary for something to grow into a plant. Seeds will not sprout until they have three needs met: water, sunlight, and nutrients from soil. During the early stages of growth, the seedling relies upon its supply of stored food until it is large enough for its own leaves to begin making food for itself through photosynthesis.