Which process is responsible for transforming light energy into chemical energy?

Photosynthesis is the process that converts light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis, plants, algae, and some bacteria capture sunlight through chlorophyll and use it to transform carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. The glucose produced is a form of chemical energy that plants use for growth, metabolism, and energy storage.

This process is essential for life on Earth as it forms the basis of the food chain, supplying energy to primary producers, which in turn provide energy to consumers. The transformation of light energy into a stable chemical form, such as glucose, is crucial for sustaining living organisms up the food chain.

In contrast, cellular respiration is a process that breaks down glucose to release energy, fermentation occurs under anaerobic conditions to produce energy without oxygen, and combustion is a reaction involving the burning of substances that typically releases energy but does not convert light energy into a usable chemical form.