Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration Flashcards
Chloroplast
A membrane-bound organelle in green plant and algal cells that carries out photosynthesis
Stroma
The protein-rich semiliquid material in the interior of a chloroplast
Thylakoids
A system of interconnected flattened membrane sacs forming a separate compartment within the storma of a chloroplast
Grana
Stacks of thylakoids
Lamellae
Groups of unstacked thylakoids between grana
Thylakoid membrane
The photosynthetic membrane within chloroplast that contains light-gathering pigment molecules and electron transport chains
Thylakoid lumen
The fluid-filled space inside a thylakoid
Light-dependent reactions
The first set of reactions of photosynthesis in which light energy excites electrons in chlorophyll molecules, powers chemiosmotic ATP systhesis, and results in the reduction of NADP+ to NADPH
NADP+
A compound that accepts on hydrogen atom and two electrons, forming NADPH; is an electron acceptor
NADPH
A compound that donates one hydrogen atom and two electrons to wither molecule, to reform NADP+; is an electron donor
Carbon fixation
The process of incorporating CO2 into carbohydrate molecules
Calvin Cycle
A cyclic set of reactions occurring in the stroma of chloroplasts that fixes the carbon of CO2 into carbohydrate molecules and recycled coenzymes
Light-independent reactions
The second set of reactions in photosynthesis (the Calvin cycle); these reactions do not require solar energy
Photosystem
A cluster of photosynthesis pigments embedded in a thylakoid membrane of a chloroplast that absorbs light energy
Electron transport chain
A series of progressively stronger electron acceptors; each time an electron is transferred, energy is released