What type of sugar is produced by photosynthesis and utilized by plants as a source of energy?

During photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose using sunlight as energy. Glucose is a simple sugar, classified as a monosaccharide, and serves as a primary energy source for plants. It is the main carbohydrate that plants synthesize and is crucial for their growth and metabolism.

Once produced, glucose can be utilized immediately for energy or can be converted into other forms of carbohydrates, such as starch, for storage. Glucose plays a vital role in cellular respiration, where it is broken down to release energy needed for various biological processes.

The other options, while they are types of sugars, do not serve the primary role that glucose does in plants' energy metabolism. Galactose and fructose are also monosaccharides but are not the main product of photosynthesis. Maltose is a disaccharide formed from two glucose units and is not directly produced during this process. Hence, glucose is correctly identified as the sugar produced by photosynthesis and used by plants as a source of energy.