Chapter 4- Photosynthesis/Cellular Respiration Flashcards
What is a photon?
A packet of light
What is chlorophyll?
The light-absorbing green-coloured pigment that begins the process of photosynthesis.
Define chloroplast.
A membrane-bound organelle in green plant and algal cells that carries out photosynthesis.
Define stroma.
The protein-rich semiliquid material in the interior of a chloroplast.
What is a thylakoid.
A system of interconnected flattened membrane sacs forming a separate compartment within the stroma of a chloroplast.
Define Grana.
singular: Granum
Stacks of thylakoids.
Define Lamellae.
singular: Lamella
Groups of unstacked thylakoids between grana.
Define Thylakoid Membrane.
A photosynthetic membrane within a chloroplast that contains light-gathering pigment molecules and electron transport chains.
Define Thylakoid Lumen.
The fluid-filled space inside a thylakoid.
Define ATP.
A molecule containing three high-energy phosphate bonds that acts as the primary energy-transferring molecule in living organisms.
Define ADP.
A molecule containing two high-energy phosphate bonds that may be formed by breaking one of the phosphate bonds in ATP.
Define NADP.
A compound that accepts one hydrogen atom and two electrons, forming NADPH; is an electron acceptor.
Define NADPH.
A compound that donates one hydrogen atom and two electrons, forming NADP; is an electron donor.
What are light-dependent reactions?
The first set of reactions of photosynthesis in which light energy excites electrons in chlorophyll molecules, powers chemiosomotic ATP synthesis, and results in the reduction of NADP to NADPH.
Define carbon fixation.
The process of incorporating CO2 in carbohydrate molecules.
Define Calvin Cycle.
A cyclic set of reactions occurring in the stroma of chloroplasts that fixes the carbon of CO2 into carbonhydrate molecules and recycles coenzymes.
Define Light-Independent Reaction.
The second set of reactions in photosynthesis (the Calvin cycle); these reactions do not require solar energy.
Define Photosystem.
A cluster of photosynthetic pigments embedded in a thylakoid membrane of a chloroplast that absorbs light energy.
