Ch. 8 Photosynthesis Flashcards
photosynthesis
biochemical process for building carbohydrates from sunlight and carbon dioxide; carbohydrates are then used to make ATP
what has more energy stored in bonds? CO2 or Carbs?
carbs!
photosynthesis requires an input of energy. where does this energy come from?
sunlight!
reduction reaction
when a molecule acquires electrons and gains energy
oxidation reaction
when a molecule loses electrons and releases energy
what happens to CO2 during photosynthesis?
CO2 molecules are reduced to form higher-energy carbohydrate molecules
where do the electrons that reduce CO2 come from? what is the ultimate electron donor?
they other electrons come from the oxidation of other molecules
ultimate electron donor is water!
what does the oxidation of water ultimately produce as by products?
electrons, protons, O2
what is the formula for photosynthesis?
CO2 + H2O = C6 H12 06 + O2
what is the photosynthetic electron transport chain? (PETC)
series of redox reactions in photosynthesis
- absorption of light by photosystems
- movement of electrons to drive the production of ATP and NADPH
- ATP and NADPH are energy sources for the calvin cycle which produces carbohydrates using CO2
photosystems
protein-pigment complexes
absorb light and set the PETC in motion
how much carbon does photosynthesis remove from the atmosphere per year?
100 billion metric tons
what organisms mainly carry out marine photosynthesis?
phytoplankton (single celled eukaryotes)
cyanobacteria (photosynthetic bacteria)
photic zone
marine surface layer about 100m deep where photosynthesis occurs
prior to photosynthetic evolution, what were the limitations of simple photosynthetic organisms?
- they only had one photosystem, this could not capture enough electrons to oxidize water and reduce electrons to CO2
- they didn’t produce O2 as a by product because they didn’t use water
- were limited to environments where HS2 electron donors were present
who were the first organisms who were able to pull electrons from water?
cyanobacteria
-they incorporated 2 photosystems into a single PETC
where did all of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere come from?
it came from photosynthesis by organisms containing two photosystems!
horizontal gene transfer
the transfer of genetic material between organisms that are NOT parents and offspring
how did bacteria obtain photosynthetic capabilities?
horizontal gene transfer
endosymbiosis of cyanobacteria —> chloroplasts
thylakoid membrane
third highly folded membrane which fills much of the center of the chloroplast
-location of the PETC
grana
groups of flattened thylakoid membrane sacs