Have you ever wondered how plants get their biomass? It may seem as though they just get it from thin air, or from water, but it is actually more complex than this.

Water enters a plant from the soil into the roots, where it then travels into stem and eventually goes into its leaves. To accomplish this, it uses the xylem, a type of vascular tissue made for transporting water, in a process called transpiration. Carbon dioxide then enters through the stomata of the plant. These two elements form the reactants of photosynthesis, which is essential for energy in the plant. This process takes place in the chloroplasts and produces glucose, which is what gives the plant energy.

Once glucose is made from photsynthesis it doesn't do much good just sitting around, so plants move it to areas where it's really needed in a process called translocation. This is done by moving the glucose around with the phloem, a type of vascular tissue in plants meant for moving around glucose. The areas this glucose gets delivered to are called sinks, and can include developing leaves or just areas for sugar storage.

Plants use glucose for two very important things. The first is for cellular respiration, which takes place in the mitochondria and is used to produce ATP. The second is cellulose, which is used by plants for structural support. For example, wood is mainly composed of cellulose.