What is the process by which plants make their own food?

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, along with some bacteria and algae, produce their own food. During photosynthesis, plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the soil to create glucose, a type of sugar that serves as an energy source. The process primarily occurs in the chloroplasts of plant cells, where chlorophyll captures sunlight and initiates the conversion of carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

This process is critical for nearly all life on Earth, as it provides the foundational energy source for the food chain and releases oxygen as a byproduct, which is essential for the survival of aerobic organisms.

The other options do not pertain to the method by which plants synthesize food. Respiration is the process by which living organisms convert glucose and oxygen into carbon dioxide and energy. Fermentation is an anaerobic process that allows organisms to convert sugars into energy without oxygen, typically occurring in certain microorganisms. Evaporation refers to the physical transformation of water from a liquid to a vapor and is not involved in the creation of organic food molecules by plants.