Photosynthesis and Respiration in Woody Plants

Abstract

Plants are gigantic energy producers through the largest synthetic process on earth, photosynthesis. Photosynthesis in plants is a process by which light energy is converted to chemical energy that is stored in plants. Photosynthesis and/or respiration occur year-round in woody plants, particularly in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions; therefore, the environmental conditions in both growing and non-growing seasons play important roles in regulating photosynthesis and respiration, affecting the biomass accumulation and distribution in plants. Photosynthesis is conducted in chloroplasts where light energy is captured and converted into different forms of chemical energy, such as sugar and other organic molecules that are stored in different plant tissues. Plants that perform photosynthesis solely through the photosynthetic carbon reduction or Calvin cycle are called C3 plants because the first stable carbon product in carboxylation reaction is a three-carbon acid, phosphoglyceric acid. Seasonal variation in photosynthesis is one of the specific characteristics of woody species due to their perennial nature.