Photosynthesis Flashcards
What is photosynthesis?
Making organic molecules using light
What is the first stage of photosynthesis?
Light reactions
What is the second stage of photosynthesis?
The Calvin cycle
What are the three membranes of a chloroplast?
Outer, Inner, Thylakoid
What are the three compartments of a chloroplast?
Intermembrane space, Stroma, Thylakoid space
Where do light reactions take place in the cholorplast?
The thylakoid membrane
Where does carbon fixation occur in the chloroplast?
The stroma
What are the protein complexes that contain chlorophyl called?
Photosystems
What does the chlorophyl in the photosystems convert the light energy it captures into?
Chemical energy (high energy electrons)
What chain do the high energy electrons move through to produce ATP?
The electron transport chain
What do light reactions do overall?
Split the water molecules, produce oxygen, ATP and NADPH
What molecules are used in the Calvin cycle to fix CO2 and produce carbohydrate?
ATP and NADPH
What are the three steps in the calvin cycle?
Fixation, Reduction, Regeneration
What happens in fixation
3x5 Carbon molecules + 3CO2 break up the carbon molecules into 6x3 carbon molecules
What happens in reduction
6x3 carbon molecules converted into a different type of 3 carbon molecule
What happens in regeneration
(1x3 carbon molecules leaves the cycle) then converting the remaining 5x3 carbon molecules to 3x5 carbon molecules
What is the output of the Calvin cycle?
3 carbon sugar that when combined with another 3 carbon sugar is converted to glucose
What is the ATP and NADPH that is produced in the light reactions used for?
To fix CO2 and produce carbohydrate. The ATP and NADPH from the light reactions are only used in the Calvin cycle
What are the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis?
Inputs: Light, Water, Carbon
Outputs: Glucose, Oxygen
What are the differences/similarities between animals and plants in how they get glucose?
Animals must have an external source, plants generate it during photosynthesis. Both then break it down during respiration to produce ATP
What enzyme generates ATP in both plants and animals?
ATP synthase (during both respiration and photosynthesis)
Are ribosomes able to make some proteins?
Yes
What do we think the origin of chloroplasts and mitochondria is at the moment?
A cell folded in to create the nucleus, then it engulfed some aerobic bacterium (which turned into mitochondria) and then it engulfed some photosynthetic bacterium (which has plastids which are chloroplasts).
