How plants respire

Like all living things, plants need evergy to live. To obtain this energy, they absorb oxygen from the air and release carbon dioxide. This process is called respiration. Respiration takes place all the time, day and night.

During the day, plants do not need to take in extra oxygen from the air to breathe. They use some of the oxygen produced during photosynthesis.

At night, plants do not photosynthesis, so they take in the oxygen they need to respire from the air, and release carbon dioxide.

The exchange of gases in plants

The gases involved in both respiration and photosynthesis are oxygen and carbon dioxide. In algae, they enter and leave the plant dissolved in water. In more complex plants, they enter and leave the plant directly from the air