Photosynthesis Vocabulary

noun a flattened structure of a higher plant, typically green and blade-like, that is attached to a stem directly or via a stalk.

• The botanist carefully examined the structure of the leaf under a microscope.
• I found a pretty leaf on my walk and decided to press it in a book.
• Check out the cool leaf I found, it's so vibrant!
• As the project progressed, she turned over every leaf to find a solution.

noun the light or illumination from the sun

adjective describing the quality or characteristics of the light from the sun

• The plants in the greenhouse require a certain amount of sunlight to thrive.
• I love sitting outside in the sunlight, it always boosts my mood.
• Let's go catch some rays in the sunlight at the beach.
• Her smile was like a ray of sunlight on a cloudy day.

noun a class of naturally occurring pigments found in plants and animals, including beta-carotene and lutein

• Carotenoids are a class of pigments found in plants and algae that give them their orange, yellow, and red colors.
• Eating fruits and vegetables high in carotenoids can help improve your skin tone.
• I heard that carotenoids are like nature's way of giving plants a tan.
• Just like how carotenoids protect plants from the sun, antioxidants can protect our bodies from harmful free radicals.

noun a spectrum showing the effectiveness of different wavelengths of light in promoting a particular biological process, such as photosynthesis

• The action spectrum is a graph that shows the rate of photosynthesis at different wavelengths of light.
• The action spectrum tells us which colors of light plants use the most for photosynthesis.
• Plants have their own favorite colors of light according to the action spectrum.
• Just like how different colors of light affect photosynthesis, our actions have a spectrum of impact on others.