water & carbon dioxide → → carbohydrates & oxygen

“This Cribsheet covers the basics of photosynthesis: where it happens, how light is used in the process, and why we think photosynthesis may have triggered the rise of complex life.”

Illustrator: Thomas Porostocky; Writer: Lee Billings; Map data adapted from MODIS observations by NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites; Graph data and reference: Biology, 4th ed., Neil A. Campbell, Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, 1996