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Energy in The Biosphere: Photosynthesis (& Respiration)
Energy in The Biosphere: Photosynthesis (& Respiration)
Energy in The Biosphere: Photosynthesis (& Respiration)
Note the presence of an Mg ion in these molecules. There are several types a
(universal), b (plants), c1, c2 (algae), d, f (cyanobacteria). Type a, b are shown
here and differ only by one group: a methyl or aldehyde
A type of Cyanobacteria A type of Algae
ATP
● Energy absorbed by the pigments drives many complex
reactions and results in the production of NADP and ATP.
● NADP is a coenzyme which plays an important role in
anabolic reactions such as carbohydrate, lipid and nucleic
acid synthesis.
● ATP is used in cells as a coenzyme and is often called the
"molecular unit of currency" of intracellular energy transfer.
● ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism.
● ATP gets used in many cellular processes such as
biosynthesis, motility, and cell division.
● ATP releases about 50kJ/mol (0.5 eV/molecule) energy on
hydrolysis to ADP and an inorganic phosphate (Pi).
ATP Structure
3-PGA:
3-Phosphoglyceric
acid
G3P:
Glyceraldehyde
3-phosphate
RuBP:
Ribulose 1,5
Biphosphate
Mitochondria - Powerhouse of Cells
● Plants consume a significant share of the carbohydrates
produced for their own needs of energy by oxidizing them.
● Production of energy happens in special organelles known as
mitochondria and it is used to maintain basic functions such
as transport of sugars or starches from leaves to stem &
roots, the uptake of macro & micronutrients from the soil &
their assimilation into useful organic compounds.
● Energy is also used to make complex organic compounds
needed for their metabolism, making roots, stems, trunks and
defense against animals, particularly insects.
● Each cell may contain some 20 to 2500 mitochondria in it.
They convert substances such as carbohydrates, proteins
and fats into energy using oxygen.
Cell Structure
Mitochondria - Structure
Structure & Function
An
Overview
of
Mitochon-
drial
Function
Efficiency of Photosynthetic Process
● Respiration claims less than a fifth of photosynthesis products in crops. The
rest are stored in seeds etc.
● In mature trees most of the photosynthate are spent in maintenance such
as replacing aging and damaged parts.
● The maximum net efficiency of photosynthesis is approximately four per
cent of total radiation.
● Intensively irrigated & fertilized crops can average two per cent efficiency;
temperate and tropical forests have 1.5% at best. Global landmass average
is about 0.33%.
● Phytoplankton in the oceans convert less than 0.1% of sunlight into new
biomass.
● Average NPP for the entire biosphere is less than 0.2%.
● The best calculations show an annual net primary production (NPP) of
about 120 Gt (billion tonnes) on the continents and 110 Gt in the ocean.
Energy in Forests
● Forests are the most productive ecosystems. The greenery of
forests is limited primarily by temperature and precipitation.
● Tropical rainforests need at least one meter of rain a year and
an average annual temperature of more than 20 °C.
● Temperate climate forests need temperatures between 0 and
20 °C and rainfall from half a meter to two meters a year.
● The annual rates of NPP (in absolutely dry matter) range:
○ Tropical rainforests: 1–3.5 kg/m2 (10–35 tonnes/hectare)
○ Temperate forests: 0.5–2.5 kg/m2
○ Grasslands: 0.2–1.5 kg/m2 .
● Energy content of dry wood varies in the range 17-21 MJ/kg.
● Other low energy plant matter such as leaves & stalks have
lower energy content, but > 10 MJ/kg.
NPP - Net Primary Productivity
● NPP rates are highest for C4 crops grown under optimum
conditions the global high for sugarcane (a C4 plant) is
80-100 t/ha (60-75 t/ha dry matter) and that for corn (C4 ) is 12
t/ha (10 t/ha dry matter).
● The numbers are less for the C3 plants. Best harvests of
wheat are around 8 t/ha (7 dry) and in the case of rice 6 t/ha
(5 dry). Leguminous crops (beans, lentils, peas) yield mostly
less than 2 t/ha (1.7 dry - that is why they are
expensive!), but many vegetables can produce in excess of
50 t/ha (5 dry).
● As for biomass from land the NPP will be 120 billion tonnes
divided by the land area of Earth (= 14.9 billion ha). The
number turns out to be 8.6 t/ha which looks reasonable.
Photosynthesis
A Tour of the Cell