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CH 6 Photosynthesis
CH 6 Photosynthesis
CH 6 Photosynthesis
BIO Chp 6
Overview of photosynthesis
• Flowering plants as photosynthesizers
– Photosynthesis occurs in the green parts of plants
– Leaves contain mesophyll tissue specialized for photosynthesis
– Water is taken up by roots and transported to leaves by veins
– Carbon dioxide enters through openings in the leaves called
stomata
– Light energy is absorbed by photopigments in thylakoids of
chloroplasts
Plants as photosynthesizers
Overview of Photosynthesis
• Photosynthetic reaction
Solar energy + 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2
– Carbon dioxide is reduced to form glucose
– Water is oxidized to form oxygen, therefore the oxygen given off
by photosynthesis comes from water
• Two set of reactions occurs in photosynthesis
– Light reactions occur first followed by the Calvin cycle
– NADP+ carries hydrogens from the light reactions to the Calvin cycle
– ATP formed in the light reactions is used in the Calvin cycle
Overview of photosynthesis
Captured Solar Energy
• Visible light
– Visible light is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum
– Visible light includes the colors blue, violet, green, yellow,
orange, and red
– Blue-violets have the shortest wavelengths and the highest
energy content
– Photopigments chlorophyll a and b and carotenoids absorb
specific portions of the light spectrum
– Blue, violet, and red are best absorbed
– Green is reflected
Solar energy capture
• Light reactions
– 2 types of photosystems composed of photopigments
– Reaction center of each photosystem is chlorophyll a
– Electrons of chlorophyll a absorb light energy and move to an
electron acceptor molecule
– Electrons then pass down one of 2 paths-noncyclic or cyclic
• Organization of thylakoid
– Thylakoid space acts as reservoir of hydrogen ions
– Hydrogen ions flow down gradient through an ATP synthase
complex in thylakoid membrane to produce ATP
– Thylakoid membranes contain the following complexes:
• PS I and II
• ATP synthase complexes
Carbohydrate synthesis
• Occurs by reduction of carbon dioxide
• Importance of the Calvin cycle
– G3P is the Calvin cycle product that can be converted to
glucose phosphate
– Glucose phosphate can then be converted into many different
organic molecules