Photosynthesis Test Review

Definitions
 Antenna Pigments: a variety of molecules located around the reaction centre that
absorbs different waves of the light spectrum to maximize photosynthesis
 Reaction Centre: the site in the chloroplast the receives the energy trapped by antenna
pigments to begin the light reactions/electron transfer
 Oxidative Phosphorylation:
 Light Reactions: the first part of photosynthesis, uses light energy from the sun to create
ATP and NADPH to power the dark reactions
 Dark Reactions/Calvin Cycle: the second part of photosynthesis, uses products of the
light reaction to reduce CO2 into PGAL which is later converted to glucose

Processes and Reactions Located in the Chloroplast

Thylakoid Membrane
 This is where the light reactions occur and where the two electron transport chains are
found
 Cytochrome B pumps hydrogen from the stroma into the thylakoid space, creating a
proton gradient and allowing ATP synthase to work
Stroma
 This is where the Calvin cycle takes place
 Carbon fixation, reduction, and RuBP regeneration are the three components to the
Calvin Cycle

Light Reactions and Dark Reactions Relationship

 The products of the light reactions (ATP + NADPH) are used as reactants in the dark
reaction to reduce CO2 into PGAL
 The light reactions are dependent on sunlight, meaning they only occur during the day
 The dark reactions are dependent on the presence of products from the light reactions,
meaning they can occur anytime if ATP and NADPH is present

REDOX in Photosynthesis
 6CO2 + 6H2O --sunlight C6H12O6 + O2
 CO2 is reduced into glucose after the Calvin Cycle when PGAL + DHAP combine
 Water is oxidized into oxygen when it is split at the beginning of the light reactions
 CO2 acts as the oxidizing agent while H2O acts as the reducing agent
Electromagnetic (Light) Spectrum
 Humans can only see wavelengths between 380nm and 780nm, this is visible light
 Short wavelengths have high energy while large wavelengths have low energy
o Visible light is near the middle
 Plants reflect green light and absorb the rest of the visible light spectrum
o Plants evolved from green algae, explaining why they are green
 Plants absorb blue and red light the most since those wavelengths work most efficiently
during photosynthesis
o Chlorophyl a peaks at these wavelengths

Antenna Pigments and Chlorophyll b

 Antenna pigments are molecules located around the reaction centre that help to make
photosynthesis more efficient by absorbing different wavelengths of light
 Chlorophyll b absorbs mostly blue and yellow light, allowing organisms to convert a
wider range of the light spectrum into chemical energy

Chemiosmotic Synthesis in Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

 Chemiosmotic synthesis refers to the production of ATP by passing electrons through a
transport chain and creating a proton gradient
 In photosynthesis, it occurs on the thylakoid membrane and pumps protons inward
 In cellular respiration, it occurs on the inner mitochondrial membrane and pumps
protons outward
 In both processes, ATP is created as a result

Turns of the Calvin Cycle

 3 turns of the Calvin Cycle results in one PGAL being formed
 For a glucose to be created, a PGAL and a DHAP must combine
 PGAL can be converted into DHAP in a separate reaction
 In other word, 2 PGAL molecules are required for one glucose, meaning 6 turns of the
Calvin Cycle are required for the formation of one glucose

PGAL Production
 1/3 of a PGAL is produced from one molecule of CO2 entering the Calvin Cycle

Reactants of the Light Reactions

 Water, NADP+, ADP, and sunlight are required for the light reactions
 Water splits donating electrons and turns into free floating H+ and O2
o Oxygen released into atmosphere, H+ used for gradient
 NADP+ and ADP are both reduced into NADPH and ATP
Reactants of the Dark Reactions
 CO2, NADPH, and ATP are required for the dark reactions
 CO2 enters through the open stomata of the leaf from the atmosphere
 NADPH and ATP come from the previous light reactions

Cyclic vs. Noncyclic Flow of Electrons

Noncyclic Flow
 Produces both ATP and NADPH from the electrons harnessed from water splitting
 Involves both photosystem I and II
Cyclic Flow
 Produces only ATP
 Electrons that exit photosystem I cycle back to the primary acceptor to go through the
first electron chain again
 This may occur when NADPH is in excess or in low-water conditions
 Cyclic flow requires light energy to re-excite the electrons at photosystem I but does not
require water
 NADP+ will not be reduced into NADPH since the electrons will not reach the second ETC

The Role of PGAL

 PGAL produced from the Calvin Cycle can be further processed to produce glucose and
other carbohydrates
 Only 1/6 of PGAL generated in the Calvin Cycle leaves, the rest is recycled to regenerate
RuBP to keep the Calvin Cycle going
 RuBP is regenerated by removing 2 inorganic phosphates from PGAL and then oxidizing
3ATP

Steps of Photosynthesis
1. Light Reactions
 H2O splits acting as the primary electron doner, releasing 2H+ and O2, electrons
enter filling hole
 Sunlight excites chlorophyl molecules and electrons are transported to
photosystem II reaction centre (P680)
 The electrons then enter an electron transport chain, when they reach the
cytochrome complex, a chemiosmotic gradient is created and ATP is produced
 Electrons are now low energy at the end of the first ETC and enter photosystem I
where another blast of light excites the electrons in the chlorophyl and sends
them to the reaction centre (P700)
 Electrons then enter the final ETC and are used to reduce NADP+ into NADPH
2. Dark Reactions (Calvin Cycle)
 3CO2 from the atmosphere enters the Calvin Cycle where rubisco converts it into
6 molecules of 3-PGA
 6ATP and 6 NADPH enter from the light reactions are oxidized to reduce the 3-
PGA into 6 molecules of PGAL
  1 PGAL leaves, creating ½ molecule of glucose
 The rest of the PGAL is used to regenerate RuBP and continue the Calvin Cycle
3. Converting to Glucose
 ½ of the PGAL that has exited will be turned into DHAP
 DHAP + PGAL = glucose
 6 turns of Calvin = 1 glucose

Absorption Spectra Graphs

 Chlorophyll a peak at violet and orange lights
 Chlorophyll b peaks at blue and red lights
 Carotenoids peak at blue lights
 Absorption spectra determines the action spectrum for photosynthesis
o The action spectrum of photosynthesis is similar to chlorophyl a’s absorption
spectra since it is the dominant pigment
o It slightly varies to chlorophyl a’s graph due to the presence of other pigments

Relationship Between Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration in Plants

 Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration are processes that are almost the direct
opposite of one another
 When plants are seedlings, they can only preform cellular respiration since they do not
have chlorophyl to absorb sunlight
 When plants have left the dormant seedling phase, they preform both photosynthesis
and cellular respiration
 They perform photosynthesis to create their food
 They perform cellular respiration to meet energy needs for other processes

Source and End of CO2 and H2O

 CO2 comes from the atmosphere and enters the plant through the stomata located in
the leaf
 At the end of photosynthesis, CO2 has been converted to glucose through reduction
during the Calvin Cycle
 H2O enters the plant through its roots and comes from the soil
 H2O ends as oxygen, which leaves the plant as waste, as well as H+, which is converted
into ATP by ATP synthase with the power of the chemiosmotic gradient created by the
cytochrome complex during the light reactions

Location and Factors Creating a Proton Gradient Within a Chloroplast

 The thylakoid space has high [H+], 1000x more than the stroma
1. H2O splitting during the light reactions releases H+ into the thylakoid space
2. Cytochrome B pumps H+ from the stroma into the thylakoid
3. NADP+ reduced into NADPH in the stroma, lowering H+ concentration
C3 and C4 Plants
C3 Plants
 Relies on rubisco for initial carbon fixation
o RuBP + CO2 --rubisco 3-PGA
 Carbon fixation occurs in the mesophyll cells
 Perform poorly in hot and dry conditions due to photorespiration
 Found in tropics and subtropics
C4 Plants
 Relies on PEP carboxylase for initial carbon fixation
o PEP + CO2 –PEP carboxylase oxaloacetate
 Carbon fixation occurs in the mesophyll cells, but then oxaloacetate is converted into
malate which enters the bundle sheath cells to begin calvin cycle
 Perform well in hot and dry conditions since the C4 pathway minimizes photorespiration
 Found in hot climates

Chloroplast Structures

Rubisco’s Affinity for both Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide

 Rubisco is the enzyme responsible for combining RuBP with CO2 to form 3-PGA during
Calvin Cycle
 Rubisco has an affinity for both oxygen and carbon dioxide, meaning it can also react
with oxygen if present
o This is called photorespiration
 This flaw is a consequence from an increase of oxygen in the atmosphere from when
plants first began photosynthesizing
 When oxygen enters Rubisco’s active site, Rubisco can no longer be used in Calvin Cycle
and turns into waste
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