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The biological significance of carbohydrates in living organisms The carbohydrates are a large group of organic compounds, made up of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. In carbohydrates the ratio of carbon to hydrogen is usually 1:2, as in water (H(2)0). Carbohydrates can basically be divided into two large groups, the sugars and the non-sugars (polysaccharides). The sugars can be further separated into simple sugars, the monosaccharides (e.g. glucose and fructose), and the compound of double sugars, the disaccharides (e.g. sucrose). These, when hydrolyzed, yield monosaccharides. Carbohydrates are extremely important in living organisms. The make up most of plants. Constituting 60 - 90% of the dry mass. Carbohydrates are used in plants as an energy source, as a means of storing energy (as Starch, a polysaccharide). Cellulose, a polysaccharide, is an important structural component of plant cell walls, where it's tensile strength is important. The products of photosynthesis are transported...

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