The main reason why there is even any type of life on this planet is because of photosynthesis. Its importance cannot be exaggerated enough because without photosynthesis, life as we know it would cease to exist. There are two reasons behind why life would not be able to survive without photosynthesis. The first being that photosynthesis is essentially the beginning of the food chain in the sense that plants and algae get their energy y creating it themselves through photosynthesis rather than feeding on another living organism. Other organisms then gain their energy by feasting on these plants and algae. The food chain then continues with other organisms eating one another until the most dominant species is left. The importance of the plants and algae is that without being able to use photosynthesis to create energy, they would die out. In result to the plants and algae dying out, the organisms that gain their energy from eating them would die out as well, and it would continue up the food chain until all life ceased to exist. The other reason why photosynthesis is so important is because it provides the earth’s atmosphere with all of the oxygen on the planet. Needless to day, without photosynthesis and without oxygen, life would not be possible on earth.
The importance of photosynthesis has already been illustrated in the previous question, but it would not be possible without the elements hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon – three of the most important elements on earth. In more detail, carbon and oxygen bond to form carbon dioxide (CO2), which is then combined with hydrogen and oxygen, bonded together in the form of water (H2O) and energy or sunlight. These three resources are the first half of the photosynthesis equation, and the combination of the three results in carbohydrates (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2). All of this is made possible by the chloroplast in the plant cell and results in energy for the plant.
While most organisms that provide themselves with energy through the process of photosynthesis, some organisms - mostly bacteria - cannot do this because of the lack of sunlight; therefore, these organisms in the darkness use the process of chemosynthesis instead. Much like the organisms that use photosynthesis, the bacteria that use chemosynthesis take in carbon dioxide, but they also take in oxygen and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as well rather than water and sunlight. The bacteria then convert these resources into sulfur (S), water, and carbohydrates, which provide the energy necessary for growth and nourishment in areas without sunlight.
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