Lesson 4.

Photosynthesis in
Plants
Objective
At the end describe the process of
of the 1 photosynthesis.
lesson, you
should be
able to:
Learn about It!
 Learn about It!

Plants and Photosynthesis

• Plants are known as autotrophs. They produce their own
food.
• Heterotrophs are organisms that consume autotrophs.
• Decomposers break down dead or decaying organisms.
• Photosynthesis is the process of food-making in plants.
• It is also present in algae, some protists, and some
prokaryotes.
 Learn about It!

Plants and Photosynthesis

• For plants to produce their food, they need sunlight, carbon
dioxide, and water. The process produces glucose which
plants consume as food, and oxygen.
• Energy from the sun is converted to chemical energy which
plants consume.
 Learn about It!

Plant Organelles in Photosynthesis

• Photosynthesis takes place in the
leaves of plants.
• It specifically occurs within
specialized organelles called
chloroplasts.
• The main photosynthetic unit in the
chloroplast is the thylakoid.
 Learn about It!

The Process of Photosynthesis

1. Light energy is captured
by chloroplasts found in
the mesophyll cells.
2. Water enters the leaf.
3. Carbon dioxide also
enters the leaf through
the stomata. Stomata
are tiny pores in the leaf.
 Learn about It!

The Process of Photosynthesis

4. Glucose and oxygen are
produced through a
series of chemical
reactions inside the
chloroplasts.
5. Glucose leaves the leaf.
Oxygen also leaves
through the stomata.
Learn about It!
Key Points

1 Photosynthesis is the process of food-making in plants.

For plants to produce their food, they need sunlight,

2 carbon dioxide, and water to produce glucose and
oxygen.

Photosynthesis takes place in the leaves of plants,

3 specifically within the chloroplasts.
 Check Your Understanding

Identify the following.

1. These are organisms that produce their own food.
2. It is the main photosynthetic unit in the chloroplast.
3. It is the process of food-making in plants.
4. It is the green pigment in leaves of plants.
5. It is the entry point of carbon dioxide in leaves of plants.
 Challenge Yourself

Plant leaves are colored green. Its green color is due

to chlorophyll. Why is chlorophyll colored green?
Lesson 4.2

Mechanisms of
Photosynthesis
Objective
explain the process of
At the end light-dependent reaction
of the 1 and light-independent
lesson, you reaction in photosynthesis.
should be
able to:
Learn about It!
 Learn about It!

Light-Dependent Reactions
• The light-dependent reactions (or simply light reactions)
occur in the thylakoids.

• During the reaction, sun’s light splits water and releases

oxygen into the atmosphere. Light energy is converted to
chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH.
 Learn about It!

Processes in Light-Dependent Reaction

 Learn about It!

Light-Independent Reaction
• The light-independent reaction (also known as dark
reaction or Calvin cycle) occurs in the stroma.

• ATP produced from the light dependent reaction is used

as a source of energy and NADPH as a reducing agent to
form sugar from carbon dioxide.
 Learn about It!

Calvin Cycle
1. Carbon Fixation
2. Reduction
3. Regeneration of Carbon
Dioxide Acceptor
 Learn about It!

Carbon Fixation
• CO2 is attached to a five-carbon
sugar (ribulose biphosphate,
RuBP). The process is catalyzed
by rubisco, an enzyme.
• It forms a new six-carbon
molecule which splits in half to
form two molecules with three
carbons each called
3-phosphoglycerate.
 Learn about It!

Reduction
• ATP is used to convert some
of the 3-carbon molecules
into a sugar precursor
molecule
(glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate,
G3P).
 Learn about It!

Regeneration of RuBP
• The remaining 3-carbon
molecule is converted again
to the five-carbon sugar
RuBP using ATP so the cycle
can continue.
 Learn about It!

Overall Process
• In total, the Calvin Cycle
spends three molecules of
carbon dioxide and nine
molecules of ATP to make
one molecule of
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate.
Learn about It!
Key Points

Photosynthesis is divided into two parts: the

1 light-dependent reaction and the light-independent
reaction.

The light-dependent reactions (or simply light reactions)

2 occur in the thylakoids. Light energy is converted to
chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH.

The light-independent reaction (also known as dark

3 reaction or Calvin cycle) occurs in the stroma. Sugar is
formed from carbon dioxide.
Key Points
 Bibliography
Berg, J. et. al. 2012. Biochemistry. 5th ed. New York: WH Freeman.

BBC. "GCSE Bitesize: Photosynthesis and respiration." 2014. Accessed May 2017.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_gateway/green_world/photosynthesisre
v1.shtml.

Nelson, D. and Cox, M. 2012. Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry. 6th ed. New York: WH Freeman.

Pickering, W.R. 2011. Complete Biology for Cambridge IGCSE. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Reece, Jane, et. al. 2011. Campbell Biology. 10th ed. United States: Pearson Education.