Photosynthesis Flashcards
why is energy important?
- living things need energy for biological processes to occur
- without energy, these biological processes would stop and the plant, animal and microorganism would die
why do plants need energy?
-for things like photosynthesis, active transport (e.g. to take in minerals via their roots), DNA replication and cell division
why do animals need energy?
-for things like muscle contraction, maintenance of body temperature, active transport, DNA replication and cell division
why do microorganisms need energy?
-for things like DNA replication, cell division, protein synthesis and sometimes motility (movement)
how do plants make their own food?
using photosynthesis (they make glucose)
what is photosynthesis?
photosynthesis is the process where energy form light is used to make glucose from water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
how is light energy converted to chemical energy?
in the form of glucose
what is the formula for glucose?
C6H12O6
what is the overall equation for photosynthesis?
6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy —-> C6H12O6 + 6O2
how is energy stored in the glucose released?
by respiration
as animals can’t make their own food, how do they obtain glucose?
-by eating plants (or other animals), then respire the glucose to release energy
what is the process of respiration?
when living cells release energy from glucose
what are the 2 types of respiration and what is the difference?
- aerobic respiration - respiration using oxygen
- anaerobic respiration - respiration without oxygen
what is the overall equation for aerobic respiration?
C6H12O6 + 6O2 —-> 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy
what is the immediate source of energy in a cell?
ATP (adenosine triphosphate
how does a cell get its energy directly from glucose?
a cell can’t get its energy directly from glucose
how is ATP made and what does it do?
- in respiration, the energy released from glucose is used to make ATP
- it carries energy around the cell to where it’s needed
what is ATP made of?
- the ATP is made from the nucleotide base adenine, combined with a ribose sugar and the 3 phosphate groups
- ATP is synthesised from ADP and Pi (inorganic phosphate using energy from an energy- releasing reaction, e.g. the breakdown of glucose in respiration
how is the energy in ATP stored?
the energy is stored as chemical energy in the phosphate bond
what is the enzyme that catalyses the reaction between ADP + Pi?
ATP synthase
what is the process of phosphorylation?
adding phosphate to a molecule
-ADP is phosphorylated to ATP
how does ATP get to the part of the cell that needs energy and what happens?
- ATP then diffuses to the part of the cell that needs energy
- here, it’s broken down into ADP and inorganic phosphate (Pi)
- chemical energy is released from the phosphate bond and used by the cell
what enzyme catalyses the reaction for the breakdown of ATP and water to make ADP and Pi?
ATPase
what is the process of ATP and water to make ADP and Pi called?
hydrolysis (the splitting of a molecule using water