Photosynthesis Flashcards
What is ATP?
ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate
tri=3
ATP is stored potential energy for a cell to do work. For example, the Calvin Cycle.
What happens if you remove a P from ATP?
What is a heterotroph?
What is a good example?
An organism that consumes food.
Humans are a great example!
What is an autotroph?
Organisms that make their own food.
Ex. plants, some protists, some bacteria
What is photosynthesis?
Chemical reaction: light energy is used to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water. Oxygen is released as a byproduct.
The light energy is stored in the bonds of carbohydrates. The energy stored in bonds is called chemical energy.
What are pigments? Which ones are important for photosynthesis?
A pigment is a light-absorbing compound.
The principal pigment of green plants is chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll (a and b) absorb light in the blue-violet and red regions of the visible spectrum.
What is the absorption spectrum of chlorophylls a and b?
Why is carotenoid pigment seen as orange?
What are thylakoids?
Which step in photosynthesis takes place here?
sacklike chlorophyll-containing membranes.
A stack is a granum, but more than one is called grana.
Light-dependent reactions
What is stroma?
Which step of Photosynthesis takes place here?
The fluid part of the chloroplast surrounding the grana.
Calvin Cycle
What is NADP+?
Where is it made?
Where does it go after it is made?
NADP+ is a high energy shuttle bus.
NADP+ can hold onto 2 high energy electrons and H+.
NADP+ is made in the Thylakoids and is used in the Calvin Cycle (stroma)
What are the two steps of photosynthesis?
Where do they take place?
What two molecules link the steps?
What goes in? What comes out?
Light-dependent reactions (thylakoids) and Calvin Cycle (stroma)
ATP and NADPH link the two steps
Water and Carbon dioxide go in
Oxygen and Sugar go out.
What is a photosystem?
What are the two types?
Where are they found?
What does PS II make? PS I?
A photosystem is a cluster of chlorophyll and proteins
There are two: Photosystem II and I. (II comes first, although was discovered second)
They are embedded in the thylakoid membrane.
PS II makes ATP and PS I makes NADPH
What is an electron transport chain?
Electrons are passed from carrier to carrier. The energy lost by electrons is given to H+ ions so they can be actively pumped across the membrane.
What is the importance of the thylakoid membrane?
It provides a support system to organize the photosystems and electron carriers.
It is also an impermeable barrier to H+ so that the H+ gradient forms. H+ will then pass through ATP synthase to make ATP.
What is ATP synthase?
spans the membrane
powered by the difference in H+ concentration on both sides of the membrane
ATP is like a windmill.
As it spins, it produces mechanical energy.
This energy can be used to join the P to ADP to make ATP
What is the Calvin Cycle?
Where is it?
What does it produce?
Calvin Cycle follows light-dependent reactions.
It is in the stroma of the chloroplast
It produces sugar.
