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Overall Equation: Photosynthesis

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PHOTOSYNTHESIS

 Process by which plants and other autotrophs store the energy of sunlight
into sugars
 Requires sunlight, water and carbon dioxide
 Occurs in the leaves of plants in organelles called chloroplasts.
OVERALL EQUATION
 6 CO2 + 6 H20  C6H12O6 + 6 O2
LEAF STRUCTURE
 Most photosynthesis occurs in the palisade layer.
 Gas exchange of CO2 and O2 occurs in openings called
stomata surrounded by guard cells on the lower leaf
surface.
INTERNAL PARTS
 LOWER EPIDERMIS – outmost tissue on the lower side of the leaf;
protects the leaf
 UPPER EPIDERMIS – outmost tissue on the upper side of the leaf;
protects the leaf
 PALISADE LAYER– rows of elongated cells in the upper center of leaf;
sites of photosynthesis
 CUTICLE – waxy layer on the covering the epidermis; holds in moisture,
prevents too much absorption of water
 STOMA/STOMATA – opening between the guard cells; allows for gas
exchange and some water
 GUARD CELLS – surround the stoma; control the opening and closing of
the stoma
CHLOROPLASTS STRUCTURE
• Inner membrane called the thylakoid membrane.
• Thickened regions called thylakoids. A stack of thylakoids is called a
granum. (Plural – grana)
• Stroma is a liquid surrounding the thylakoids.
PIGMENTS
• Chlorophyll A is the most important photosynthetic pigment.
• Other pigments or accessory pigments are also present in the leaf.
– Chlorophyll B
– Carotenoids (orange / red)
– Xanthophylls (yellow / brown)
• These pigments are embedded in the membranes of the chloroplast in
groups called photosystems.
PHOTOSYSTEMS - groups of pigments embedded in the membranes of a
chloroplast.
THE CHEMICAL PROCESS
• Occurs in two main phases.
– Light reactions
– Dark reactions
– (aka – the Calvin Cycle)
• Light reactions (light-dependent) are the “photo” part of photosynthesis.
Light is absorbed by pigments.
• Dark reactions
(light-independent or Calvin cycle) are the “synthesis” part of
photosynthesis. Trapped energy from the sun is converted to the chemical
energy of sugars.
LIGHT REACTIONS: (LIGHT DEPENDENT)
 Occur within and across thylakoid membranes
– Light and water are required for this process
– Water molecules - broken down to give hydrogen ions, oxygen
and energized e-
– Oxygen gas is made as a waste product.
– Energy carried along thylakoid is transferred to molecules w/c carry
energy (ATP and NADPH)
CODES
ATP: Adenosine Triphosphate
NADPH
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Hydrogen
NADP: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate
ELECTRON TRANSPORT
- Process by which energized e- are carried from photosystem II across
carrier molecule. (uses energy to transport H+)

PHOTOSYSTEM I PHOTOSYSTEM II
 Energy is absorbed from sunlight  Energy is absorbed from sunlight
– transferred to e- then leave
chlorophyll and enter e- transport
chain (series of proteins in the
chain)
 NADPH is produced when e- are  H2O molecules split – enzymes
added to NADP+ break H2O giving O2 as waste.
 H ions diffuse through a protein  H ions are transported – e- moves
channel from protein to protein in e-
transport chain.
 ADP is changed into ATP when H
ions flow through ATP synthase
SYNTHESIS OF ATP
 Concentration gradient is produced in thylakoid due to high H+
concentration
- H + diffuses back to stroma using a membrane protein (ATP synthase)
- ADP is converted to ATP due to energy released from H ions flow

DARK REACTIONS (LIGHT-INDEPENDENT) – occurs in the stroma


 Carbon Fixation: CO2 is “fixed” into the sugar glucose
- 6 molecules of CO2 combine w/six 5-carbon compound (RuBP-ribulose
biphosphate) to form twelve 3-carbon molecules (PGA-phosphoglycerate)
 Production of G3P - Chemical energy from ATP and NADPH is
transferred to 3-PGA to form high energy molecules (G3P- glyceraldehyde
3-phosphates)
 ATP supplies phosphate groups
 NADPH supplies hydrogen
 Two G3P molecules combine forming glucose
 Restocking RuBP - 10 G3P recycled back to RuBP
 Requires energy from 6 ATP (light-dependent reactions)
 To be used in the next Calvin cycle
CALVIN CYCLE
- 1 cycle uses only one molecule of carbon
- Cycle should occur 6 times to produce 1 molecule of glucose
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS
- Target goal is to make glucose
- Light-dependent – creates ATP and NADPH
- ATP and NADPH – required by the Calvin cycle to make a glucose
molecule
- NADP+ and ADP released in light reaction- generates more NADPH and
ATP

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