food supply, plant growth and productivity 3.1 Flashcards
(28 cards)
what is absorption?
the process by which light is taken and retained by a leaf
what is an absorption spectrum?
a display/ graph showing the quantity of light absorbed by a pigment at different wavelengths of light
what is an action spectrum?
a graph showing the rate of photosynthesis by a green plant at different wavelengths of light
what are carbohydrates?
large group of organic compounds that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
what are carotenoids?
yellow pigments which absorb light and pass the energy to chlorophyll
what are chlorophylls?
green pigments which absorb light in the red and blue regions of the white light spectrum
what is chromatography?
a technique used to separate the components of a mixture that differ in their degree of solubility in a solvent
what is cultivar?
the variety of plant obtained from natural species by selection and/ or genetic manipulation and maintained by cultivation
what is food security?
the ability to access food of adequate quantity and quality
what is a nanometre?
one thousands-millionth of a meter ( x10^-9)
what is photosynthesis?
the process by which green plants trap light energy and use it to produce carbohydrates
what is reflection?
the process by which light bounces off a leaf surface
what is transmission?
the process by which light passes through a leaf
what is a trophic?
a term referring to a level in a food chain or pyramid
what is ATP?
a high energy compound which provides the energy needed to drive the Calvin cycle
what is ATP synthase?
the enzyme which catalyses the synthesis of ATP from ADP and Pi
what is the calvin cycle?
the second stage of photosynthesis during which carbon dioxide is taken up and sugar is synthesised
what is carbon dioxide?
a raw material which supplies carbon atoms to be fixed into carbohydrates
what is an electron transport chain?
a group of protein molecules in the membrane of a chloroplast which makes energy available to pump H+ across the membrane and to split water molecules
what is glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate? (G3P)
a metabolite in the calvin cycle used to regenerate RuBP and make sugar
what is hydrogen?
a product of photolysis of water which becomes attached to NADP
what is a light-dependent reaction?
the first stage of photosynthesis during which light energy is converted to chemical energy
what is NAPD?
a compound which accepts hydrogen released during the photolysis of water
what is oxygen?
a product of photolysis of water which is required for aerobic respiration
