5.6 - Photosynthesis Flashcards
What metabolic processes do plants rely on?
Aerobic respiration and photosynthesis
How are plant leaves adapted for photosynthesis
- Stomata on the surface of the leaf
- ## large surface area for chloroplasts on photosynthesis
Adaptations of guard cells
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How are leaves adapted for their function?
- Flat: large surface area for maximum light absorption
- Thin - short diffusion distance between palisade mesophyll cells and external environment (for CO2, H2O and O2)
- Palisade mesophyll cells are near the upper surface - maximises light absorption
- upper epidermal cells are transparent - allows light to reach the palisade cells mesophyll cells
- waxy transparent cuticle - allows light to enter; prevents loss of water for photosynthesis
- lower epidermis contains stomata (pores): allow gas exchange - intake of CO2 and release of O2
2 transport vessels in plant
- What do they transport and where to in the plant?
- Xylem - transports H2O and minerals to leaf mesophyll cells (chloroplast) for photosynthesis
- Phloem - transports complex organic molecules made in the leaf to the rest of the plant
How are the palisade mesophyll cells (upper layer) in a plant adapted for their function?
- Contain many chloroplasts - large amount of chlorophyll
- closely packed columnar cells arranged with long axis perpendicular to surface - reduces number of light absorbing cross walls and increase surface area
- Chloroplasts moved by cytoskeleton (cyclosis) - to absorb maximum light or to protect from excessive light
- Thin cells wall - reduces diffusion pathway - efficient light penetration
- Chloroplasts at periphery of cell - short diffusion pathway
- Non-pigmented vacuole - allow light penetration
How is the spongy mesophyll (lower layer - lower of the leaf) adapted to its function?
- Spherical cells allow:
- Less chloroplasts
- Larger intercellular air spaces for movement of gases and H2O vapour
- Store carbohydrates as starch granules (and other organic substances, e.g. amino acids, nucleotides, lipids) made by photosynthesis - which are taken into the phloem
- Stomata opening and closing can be controlled by the guard cells
What is an autotroph?
- What is an example of an autotroph?
- An organism that makes complex organic compounds (food) from organic molecules using energy (chemical or light)
- Plants are photoautotrophs
What is a photoautotroph?
- An organism that makes its own food using light energy and organic materials (CO2, H2O and minerals) by photosynthesis
- e.g. plants, some bacteria and some protoctista - Algae
What is a heterotroph?
- An organism that cannot make organic compounds from inorganic sources. It needs a ready made supply of organic compounds (carbon compounds)
- Heteretrophs obtain their organic compounds by consuming other organisms
- e.g. all other animals, fungi, some bacteria and protoctista
What is the compensation point and compensation period on a graph showing rate of photosynthesis and respiration?
- Compensation point is when both photosynthesis and respiration are taking place at the same rate. There is not net loss or gain of carbohydrate
- The time taken to reach this point is known as the compensation period. This varies between species
What is the endo-symbiosis theory?
Believed that photosynthetic bacteria were acquired by eukaryotic plant cells by endocytosis
Evidence for endo-symbiosis
Chloroplast and mitochondria contain their own DNA.
They also have 70S ribosomes compared to eukaryotic 80S ribosomes
Equation for photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O + energy from photons —> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Is photosynthesis exothermic or endothermic?
- Requires energy
- therefore reaction is endothermic
- electrons are also required
- this makes photosynthesis a reduction reaction
What is the relationship between respiration and photosynthesis?
The products for one reaction the material are the materials/reactants for another reaction
- photosynthesis creates products used in respiration etc.
Structure of thylakoids and lamellae in chloroplasts
- The inner membrane is folded into lamellae (thin plates) also called thylakoids
- thylakoids are staked in plates called granum (pl. grana)
- intergranal lamellae (or stroma lamellae) link different stacks of thylakoids or grana
- one granum may contain 100+ thylakoids
Structure and function of grana
- Grana are where the first stage of photosynthesis takes place - the light dependent stage (LDS)
- creates a large surface area for:
- distribution of photosystems that contain photosynthetic pigments that trap sunlight
- Electron carriers and ATP synthase enzymes needed to convert light energy into ATP
- Proteins embedded in the thylakoid membrane hold the photosystems in place
Stroma structure and function
- Is a fluid-filled matrix
- Contains enzymes needed for the second stage of photosynthesis - the light-independent stage (LIS)
- Also contains starch grains, oil droplets, small 70S ribosomes (similar to prokaryotic cells) and a loop of DNA.
Structure and function of membranes in chloroplast
- Chloroplasts are surrounded by a double membrane (known as the envelope)
- The outer membrane is highly permeable
- The inner membrane is less permeable, selectively permeable
- The inner membrane has transport proteins embedded in it
- The intermembrane space is 10-20nm wide between the inner and outer membrane
Chloroplasts adaptations
Inner membrane with transport proteins - controls molecules travelling between the cell cytoplasm and the stroma
Many grana - large SA for photosynthetic pigments, electron carriers and ATP synthase enzyme needed for LDS
Photosynthetic pigments - arranged in photosystems, electron carriers and ATP synthase e enzyme needed in LDS
Proteins embedded in grana - hold photosystems in place
Fluid-filled stroma - contains enzymes needed for LIS
Grana surrounded by stroma - products made in LDS in grana can pass into stroma to be used in LIS
Chloroplast DNA and ribosomes - code for and synthesise some of the proteins needed for photosynthesis
Structure of chlorophyll
- A mixture of pigments
- All contain a molecular structure consisting of a porphyrin group
- Porphyrin group contains a magnesium atom and a long hydrocarbon chain
What pigments does chlorophyll contain?
Chlorophyll A and Chlorophyll B
Different photosystems in chlorophyll a and what wavelength they absorb?
- P680 is found in photosystems II and it’s peak of absorption is light of wavelength 680nm
- P700 is found in photosystems I and it’s peak of absorption is light of wavelength 700nm
Function of photosynthetic pigments
- Absorb certain wavelengths of light
- Reflect other wavelengths (these are the colours we see)
- Arranged in photosystems in thylakoid membranes
Different photosynthetic pigments in in chlorophyll b and what wavelength of light they absorb?
- Chlorophyll b absorbs light of wavelength 400-500nm and around 640nm.
- It appears yellow-green
What are the accessory pigments in chlorophyll?
- Carotenoids
- Xanthophylls
Wavelengths of light absorbed by accessory pigments
- Carotenoids: absorb blue light of wavelength 400-500nm
- They reflect yellow and orange light
- Xanthophylls: absorb blue and green light of wavelengths 375-550nm.
- They reflect yellow light
What method could be used to separate photosynthetic pigments in chlorophyll?
Thin Layer Chromatography
Info about chlorophyll a
- Is found in the Primary pigment reaction centre
- Contains a Mg atom - when light hits this atom, a pair of electrons become excited
Rf values of different photosynthetic pigments
- Carotene: 0.91
- Phaeophytin: 0.63-0.75
- Chlorophyll a: 0.63
- Chlorophyll b: 0.58
- Xanthophyll: 0.32-0.53
Where are photosystems found in the chloroplast?
Found in the thylakoid membrane and the intergranal lamellae
Function of accessory pigments
These absorb light not normally absorbed by chlorophylls x then pass energy on to Chlorophyll a
Photosystems info
- A photosystems is a funnel shaped light-harvesting cluster of photosynthetic pigments
- Accessory pigments absorb different wavelengths of light to maximise the amount of sunlight that can be utilised
- Accessory pigments funnel energy associated with light wavelengths to the primary pigment reaction centre (Chlorophyll a)
ATP made in plants info
- ATP is a store of energy found in all cells
- ATP diffuses around the cell and provides energy for cellular and metabolic processes in cells
- ATP is made in the LDS from ADP + Pi (inorganic phosphate)
- ATP releases energy in the LIS when the bond between the inorganic phosphate is broken
Useful products of photosynthesis
- Amino acids
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Nucleic Acids
What is the purpose of photosynthesis?
To create complex organic molecules
Describe the absorbance spectrum of the different photosystem pigments
(3 Marks)
- Wavelengths of light around 430 and 500nm are absorbed by carotenoids (blue light)
- Wavelengths of light between 530 and 620 are not absorbed by any pigments (yellow light)
- Wavelengths of light between 670 and 700nm are absorbed well (red light)
Light dependent reaction
- Adding a phosphate molecule is phosphorylation
- In this case light is used as an energy source
- So the process is called photophosphorylation
- ATP + H2O(catalyst)—> ADP + Pi + energy
Equation for the reaction in the light dependent reaction
ATP + H2O(catalyst) —> ADP + Pi + energy
What is NADH?
- Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate
- Phosphorylated NADH