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Most plants are [[photoautotroph]]s, which means that they are able to synthesize food directly from inorganic compounds using light energy - for example from the sun, instead of eating other organisms or relying on nutrients derived from them. This is distinct from [[chemoautotroph]]s that do ''not'' depend on light energy, but use energy from inorganic compounds.
Most plants are [[photoautotroph]]s, which means that they are able to synthesize food directly from inorganic compounds using light energy - for example from the sun, instead of eating other organisms or relying on nutrients derived from them. This is distinct from [[chemoautotroph]]s that do ''not'' depend on light energy, but use energy from inorganic compounds.
The energy for photosynthesis ultimately comes from absorbed [[photon]]s and involves a [[reducing agent]], which is [[water]] in the case of plants, releasing [[oxygen]] as a waste product. The light energy is converted to chemical energy (known as [[light-dependent reaction]]s), in the form of [[Adenosine triphosphate|ATP]] and [[NADPH]], which are used for synthetic reactions in photoautotrophs. Most notably plants use the chemical energy to fix [[carbon dioxide]] into [[carbohydrate]]s and other organic compounds through [[light-independent reaction]]s. The overall equation for carbon fixation (sometimes referred to as carbon reduction) in green plants
The energy for photosynthesis ultimately comes from absorbed [[photon]]s and involves a [[reducing agent]], which is [[water]] in the case of plants, releasing [[oxygen]] as a waste product. The light energy is converted to chemical energy (known as [[light-dependent reaction]]s), in the form of [[Adenosine triphosphate|ATP]] and [[NADPH]], which are used for synthetic reactions in photoautotrophs. Most notably plants use the chemical energy to fix [[carbon dioxide]] into [[carbohydrate]]s and other organic compounds through [[light-independent reaction]]s. The overall equation for carbon fixation (sometimes referred to as carbon reduction) in green plants is{{Fact|date=March 2007}}
:''n'' CO<sub>2</sub> + ''2n'' H<sub>2</sub>O + ATP + NADPH → (CH<sub>2</sub>O)''<sub>n</sub>'' + ''n'' H<sub>2</sub>O + ''n'' O<sub>2</sub>,
:''n'' CO<sub>2</sub> + ''2n'' H<sub>2</sub>O + ATP + NADPH → (CH<sub>2</sub>O)''<sub>n</sub>'' + ''n'' H<sub>2</sub>O + ''n'' O<sub>2</sub>,
