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is a process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especiallysugars, using the energy from sunlight.[1]Photosynthesis occurs inplants, algae, and many species ofBacteria, but not in Archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are calledphotoautotrophs, since it allows them to create their own food. In plants, algae andcyanobacteria photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water, releasingoxygen as a waste product. Photosynthesis is vital for life on Earth. As well as maintaining the normal level of oxygen in theatmosphere, nearly all life either depends on it directly as a source of energy, or indirectly as the ultimate source of the energy in their food[2](the exceptions are chemoautotrophsthat live in rocks or around deep seahydrothermal vents). The amount of energy trapped by photosynthesis is immense, approximately 100terawatts:[3]which is about six times larger than the power consumption of human civilization.[4]As well as energy, photosynthesis is also the source of the carbon in all the organic compounds within organisms' bodies. In all, photosynthetic organisms convert around 100,000,000,000 tonnes of carbon into biomass per year.[5]

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15y ago

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