Question

Your friend asks for your help checking their essay about sugar production and use in plants. They have found an online encyclopedia that says the following. "Plants produce glucose via photosynthesis. Glucose is linked together to form the carbohydrate starch." Your friend is confused, though, because a university website states that "glucose is linked together to form cellulose, the main part of plant cell walls."

Answer 1

Your friend's confusion is understandable, as both statements are accurate but refer to different aspects of carbohydrate processing in plants.

1. Photosynthesis and Glucose Production: The first statement is correct that plants produce glucose through photosynthesis. This process occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells, where carbon dioxide and water are converted into glucose and oxygen using sunlight.

2. Starch and Glucose: The second statement mentions that glucose can be linked together to form starch, which is a polysaccharide stored in plants as an energy reserve. Starch is composed of long chains of glucose units.

3. Cellulose Formation: The third statement refers to cellulose, which is also made from glucose units but serves a different purpose. Cellulose is a primary structural component of plant cell walls, providing rigidity and strength. The glucose molecules in cellulose are linked together in a different way than they are in starch, resulting in a straight chain rather than the branched structure found in starch.

In summary, both statements are correct. Glucose in plants can be used to create different carbohydrates depending on the plant's needs: starch for energy storage and cellulose for structural support. This illustrates the versatility of glucose as a fundamental building block in plant metabolism.