Which process captures light energy and converts it to chemical energy, producing sugar and oxygen?

Which process captures light energy and converts it to chemical energy, producing sugar and oxygen?

• A. Photosynthesis
• B. Chemosynthesis
• C. Decomposer
• D. Food chain

Answer: (A)

The process that captures light energy and converts it into chemical energy to make sugar, releasing oxygen in the process, is photosynthesis. In plants, algae, and some bacteria, chlorophyll absorbs light and uses that energy to drive reactions that split water, releasing oxygen and forming ATP and NADPH in the light-dependent stage. Those energy carriers power the Calvin cycle, which combines carbon dioxide into glucose, storing chemical energy in sugar. The oxygen produced is a byproduct of splitting water. This activity is different from chemosynthesis, which relies on chemical energy from inorganic molecules rather than light, and from decomposers or food chains, which describe organisms breaking down matter or the flow of energy, not the light-driven synthesis of sugars.

The process that captures light energy and converts it into chemical energy to make sugar, releasing oxygen in the process, is photosynthesis. In plants, algae, and some bacteria, chlorophyll absorbs light and uses that energy to drive reactions that split water, releasing oxygen and forming ATP and NADPH in the light-dependent stage. Those energy carriers power the Calvin cycle, which combines carbon dioxide into glucose, storing chemical energy in sugar. The oxygen produced is a byproduct of splitting water. This activity is different from chemosynthesis, which relies on chemical energy from inorganic molecules rather than light, and from decomposers or food chains, which describe organisms breaking down matter or the flow of energy, not the light-driven synthesis of sugars.