Which elements do plants obtain from water and air?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Curving flower beds of colorful tulips and blue grape hyacinths bordered by green grass and blooming cherry trees at Keukenhof Gardens near Lisse, Netherlands. — gardening Keukenhof Gardens, near Lisse, Netherlands.

In the context of plant physiology, plants obtain essential elements from air and water to support their growth and metabolism through the process of photosynthesis.12

From Air: Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This provides the carbon and oxygen atoms necessary for synthesizing organic compounds like sugars.1
From Water: Plants take up water from the soil through their root systems. This water serves as a primary source of hydrogen atoms. During photosynthesis, the hydrogen is extracted from water, which results in the release of oxygen as a byproduct.13

Together, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen—along with nitrogen—make up more than 96 percent of a plant's dry weight, serving as the major constituents of its structural and metabolic compounds.1