Photosynthesis:
Photosynthesis is the process whereby plants use the energy from the light and make energy “bars” in the form of carbohydrates. Thus, plants are able to use solar energy and store it! They make these energy packets from CO2 and water. One of the byproducts of photosynthesis is something that we all need: oxygen!
As mentioned earlier, lichens are communities and they contain photosynthesizing organisms. The red-orange lichen at Torgersen Island is particularly striking. This particular species of lichen is in the genus Xanthoria.
There are also grasses in the foreground. Kelly and I had collected some moss samples so we can measure how fast moss are photosynthesizing, but we had not looked at grass or lichen - or at least, not yet. We sampled only a few specimens of these, and someone is extremely happy with them!
