Use & Storage of Carbohydrates (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology)

Use & Storage of Carbohydrates

How are the products of photosynthesis used?

• The carbohydrates produced by plants during photosynthesis can be used in the following ways:

  • Converted into starch molecules which act as an effective energy store

  • Converted into cellulose to build cell walls

  • Glucose can be used in respiration to provide energy

  • Converted to sucrose for transport in the phloem

  • As nectar to attract insects for pollination

• Plants can also convert the carbohydrates made into lipids for an energy source in seeds and into amino acids (used to make proteins) when combined with nitrogen and other mineral ions absorbed by roots

The fate of glucose