PHOTOS NTHESIS

PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH PLANTS USE

SUNLIGHT, WATER, AND CARBON DIOXIDE TO CREATE OXYGEN AND
ENERGY IN THE FORM OF GLUCOSE (C₆H₁₂O₆)

PHOTOSYNTHESIS BEGINS WITH THE ABSORPTION OF LIGHT

BY CHLOROPHYLL, A GREEN PIGMENT FOUND IN PLANTS.
THESE PIGMENTS ARE CONNECTED TO PROTEINS PRESENT IN
CHLOROPLAST THYLAKOIDS. AFTER THE LIGHT ENERGY IS
ABSORBED, IT IS USED TO REMOVE ELECTRONS FROM
COMMON DONORS LIKE WATER, RESULTING IN THE
FORMATION OF OXYGEN. THE ELECTRONS WILL THEN BE
TRANSFERRED TO QUININE (Q), A MAJOR ELECTRON
RECEPTOR IN THE ELECTRON TRANSFER CHAIN THAT IS
COMPARABLE TO COQ.

IN THE THYLAKOID MEMBRANE, ELECTRONS PASS

THROUGH A CHAIN OF ELECTRON TRANSFER MOLECULES,
MOVING AWAY FROM THE PRIMARY ELECTRON ACCEPTOR
UNTIL THEY REACH THE TERMINAL ELECTRON ACCEPTOR,
WHICH IS USUALLY NADP+. AS PROTONS ARE PUMPED
OUT OF THE MEMBRANE DURING THE ELECTRON
TRANSFER PROCESS, A PROTON GRADIENT DEVELOPS.

PROTONS PASS FROM THE THYKALOID LUMEN TO THE

STROMA VIA THE F0F1 COMPLEX. THIS MECHANISM
PRODUCES ATP FROM ADP AND PI IN A MANNER
SIMILAR TO HOW ATP IS PRODUCED IN THE ELECTRON
TRANSPORT CHAIN.

THE ENERGY SOURCE FOR CARBON FIXATION IS

NADP AND ATP, WHICH ARE PRODUCED IN
PROCESSES 2 AND 3. ELECTRONS START THE
REDUCTION OF CARBON INTO SIX-CARBON SUGAR
MOLECULES IN THIS PHASE. THESE PROCESSES
ARE FITTINGLY REFERRED TO AS BLACK
REACTIONS SINCE THEY ARE LIGHT-INDEPENDENT,
AS OPPOSED TO THE PREVIOUS PHASES, WHICH
RELY ON LIGHT ENERGY AND ARE REFERRED TO AS
LIGHT REACTIONS.

THE ENTIRE PHOTOSYNTHESIS PROCESS CULMINATES

IN THE CREATION OF SUGAR, THE PLANT'S MAJOR
FOOD SOURCE. THIS BY-PRODUCT ENABLES THE
PLANT TO DEVELOP ITS PHYSICAL STRUCTURE,
INCLUDING ROOT DEVELOPMENT.