What Makes a Plant?

What do they all have in common? The big thing that connects plants is photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process that allows plants to take energy from the Sun and create sugars. Not all plants go through the process of photosynthesis. As with all of biology, there are exceptions and you may learn about plant species that are parasites. Plants also have cell walls. In the cells tutorials we explained that all cells have a membrane. Only plants have an additional cell wall made from cellulose.

Let's look at photosynthesis. Plants are able to turn sunlight into energy but not directly. Plants are actually able to store energy in some chemical bonds that can be used later. Before we get into details, we'll explain that there are two processes on Earth: Photosynthesis and Respiration. Photosynthesis stores the energy and respiration releases that energy. It all starts with the Sun. Check out the tutorial on photosynthesis.