Photosynthetic production of biomass

Photosynthetic organisms use light energy to make glucose from carbon dioxide and water. Oxygen is released during this process, called photosynthesis.

Glucose provides material for making other organic molecules. For example, plants use glucose to make cellulose for cell walls and starch for storage. These substances contribute to the organism’s biomass: the mass of its living material.

Green plants and algae are producers because they make their own organic material rather than obtaining it by eating other organisms. When a consumer eats a producer, it obtains organic material that can be used to build its own biomass. Through feeding relationships, producers therefore support the biomass of other organisms.