10: Photosynthesis Flashcards
Which two factors affect photosynthetically active radiation in plants?
- type of light received
2. wavelengths received
What are the 4 main pigments in plants?
- Chlorophyll A
- Chlorophyll B
- Carotenoids
- Anthocyanin
Which are the 2 photosynthetically active pigments?
Chlorophyll a and b - predominantly a
Describe chlorophyll as photosynthetically active pigments
(A & B) Green pigments that help capture the sun’s energy by absorbing a lot of blue and red light and reflecting the other light wavelengths
Describe carotenoid pigments and list the two kinds
Orange pigments that are leftover in the leaf after the chlorophyll exits in the fall
- absorb mostly blue light and reflect the rest
- carotene
- xanthophyll
Describe anthocyanin pigments
Red pigment located inside the vacuole that does NOT contribute to the light dependent reactions and is purely a colour
Where is chlorophyll located?
Embedded in stacked membrane sacs (thylakoids) within chloroplasts of mesophyll cells
Also located in guard cells
T or F: Chlorophyll is a green pigment that reflects green light and absorbs blue and red light?
TRUE photosynthesis does not use green light
Which chemical is the key component of the chlorophyll molecule? What is attached to it?
Magnesium in the centre of the chemical rings with CH2 and CH3s attached
What is the chemical formula for photosynthesis?
6CO2 + 6H2O inputted into the chlorophyll and in the presence of light energy and enzymes –> C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2 + water
What are the inputs required for photosynthesis?
Carbon dioxide
Water
Sunlight
Enzymes
What are the products of photosynthesis?
Oxygen gas
Glucose (sugar)
Water
What are the two distinct steps of photosynthesis?
- Light reactions
2. Light independent reactions
What are thylakoids?
Stacked membrane sacs inside the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells that contain chlorophyll
The site of the light reaction step of photosynthesis
Describe the light reaction step of photosynthesis
- Rxns take place in the thylakoid membranes (Grana)
- light energy is captured and converted to ATP and NADPH
- Oxygen is produced by the water burning and released out the stoma into the atmosphere
Describe the light independent reaction step of photosynthesis
- The Calvin Cycle (C3 cycle) take place in the stroma of chloroplasts
- ATP & NADPH produced by the light runs are fed into the calvin cycle to fix the atmospheric CO2 into a 3-Carbon compound
- This requires RuBisCO ENZYME
- products of the CC = starch and glucose
What is ATP?
Adenosine Triphosphate
- temporarily, short-lived stored energy of biological systems
- the energy produced the light rxn stage of photosynthesis that cells need to do their work - cells cannot use the sugar directly, it needs to be converted into ATP
Describe how photosynthesis happens in leaves?
Light passes through the transparent epidermal cells on the surface of the leaves and into the thylakoid membranes in the chloroplasts
and CO2 comes in through the stoma and diffuses into the liquid environment inside the cells and moves into the chloroplasts
water is produced by PS and transpiration can also leave the stoma
Describe the stroma
The liquid filling of the chloroplasts that surrounds the thylakoids
Where the high energy compounds (ATP & NADPH) and CO2 enter to be converted into sugar
What are the 2 structures of chloroplasts?
- Grana: all the thylakoids
2. Stroma: fluid filling in chloroplasts
Where does the light dependent reaction occur?
In the grana (all the thylakoids)