What is the name of the polysaccharide that is made up of many glucose molecules?

Starch is the name of the polysaccharide that is composed of many glucose molecules. It functions primarily as a storage form of energy in plants. When plants photosynthesize, they produce glucose, which can be linked together to form long chains. These chains, made up of repeating glucose units, can be branched or unbranched and are stored mainly in tubers and seeds.

Starch is categorized into two types: amylose, which is a linear chain of glucose units, and amylopectin, which is a branched form. This structure allows starch to be easily broken down into glucose molecules when energy is needed for growth or metabolic processes. The body can also efficiently digest starch, making it an important energy source in human diets.

While cellulose, glycogen, and chitin are also polysaccharides made of glucose or glucose derivatives, they serve different functions and have different structures. Cellulose provides structural support in plant cell walls, glycogen serves as an energy reserve in animals, and chitin is found in the exoskeletons of arthropods, highlighting the functional diversity of polysaccharides beyond just energy storage.