Chapter 11 - Photosynthesis Flashcards
What does photosynthesis produce?
It produces the oxygen we breathe by releasing it from water molecules
What are the products of photosynthesis used for in the plant?
They are used to produce ATP during respiration
What are some adaptations of the leaf structure?
- Large surface area
- Thin
- Arrangement of leaves
- Transparent cuticle
- Numerous stomata
- Network of xylem and phloem
What is good about the leaf having a large surface area?
Allows for the absorption of as much light as possible
Why is it good that the leaf has a transparent cuticle?
It allows the light to get through to the photosynthetic mesophyll cells
What is the word equation for photosynthesis?
Carbon dioxide (6CO2) + Water (6H20) –> Glucose (C6H12O6) + Oxygen (6CO2)
What is photosynthesis?
The process of energy transferral in which some of the energy in light is conserved in the form of chemical bonds
What are the three main stages of photosynthesis?
- Capturing of light energy
- The light dependent reaction
- The light independent reaction
What happens in stage 1 of photosynthesis?
Light energy is captured by chloroplast pigments such as chlorophyll
What happens in stage 2 of photosynthesis?
Some of the light energy is conserved in chemical bonds, creating an electron flow (due to the effect of light on chlorophyll) causing water to split (photolysis) into protons,electrons and oxygen
What happens in stage 3 of photosynthesis?
The protons from stage 2 are used to produce sugars and other organic materials
What is the normal structure of a chloroplats?
Typically disc shaped, 2-10 nanometers long and 1 nanometer in diameter, they are surrounded by a double memmbrane
What is grana?
Stacks of up to 100 disc like structures called thylakoids where the light dependent stage of photosynthesis takes place
What is stroma?
Stroma is a fluid filled matrix where the light independent stage of photosynthesis takes place
