Which process allows plants to produce their own food?

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert light energy, usually from the sun, into chemical energy stored in glucose, a type of sugar that serves as food for the plant. During this process, plants take in carbon dioxide from the air through their leaves and absorb water from the soil through their roots. Using sunlight, they transform these ingredients into glucose and oxygen, the latter of which is released back into the atmosphere as a byproduct. This fundamental process is essential for plant growth and development and forms the basis of the food chain for all living organisms, as plants are primary producers.

The other processes listed play important roles in the functioning of living organisms but do not enable plants to produce their own food. Respiration refers to the metabolic process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water, essentially breaking down food rather than creating it. Fermentation is an anaerobic process that some organisms use to obtain energy without oxygen, typically in the absence of light, and is not how plants produce food. Transpiration is the process of water vapor being released from the plant's leaves into the atmosphere, which is important for water regulation but does not involve the production of food. Thus, photosynthesis is specifically the process that