Photosynthesis

Mrs. Ruwani kannangara

Lesson 8 : 22/08/2022 - Nutrition in flowering plants
2 (e) Nutrition- flowering plants

2.18
2.19
2.20
2.21
2.23
 Plants use simple inorganic molecules carbon dioxide and water, in the presence of chlorophyll and
sunlight, to make glucose and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis

light

Carbon dioxide + Water ————-> Glucose + Oxygen

chlorophyll

6 CO2 + 6 H2O ————> C6H12O6 + 6 O2

● the role of the green pigment,chlorophyll is to absorb the light energy needed for the reaction to
take place
● the products of the reaction; glucose and oxygen contain more energy than the carbon dioxide and
water
● photosynthesis converts light into chemical energy

** overall equation for photosynthesis is the reverse of the one for aerobic respiration

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 —————-> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O ( plus energy )

** respiration, which is carried out by both animals and plants, releases energy from the breakdown of
glucose. The chemical energy in the glucose came originally from light ‘trapped’ by the process of
photosynthesis
 Leaves
● leave is the plant orange which has adapted to carry out photosynthesis
effectively ; - large surface area to absorb light
-many chloroplasts containing chlorophyll
-a supply of water and carbon dioxide
-a system for carrying away the products of photosynthesis to
other parts of the plant
-release oxygen and water vapour from the leaf cells
-most leaves are thin, flat structures supported by a leaf stalk
which can grow to allow the blade of the leaf to be angled to receive the
maximum amount of sunlight
How has the structure of the leaf adapted to carry out photosynthesis effectively?
> Upper and lower epidermis ; Protection ( both ) and allow to pass through sunlight ( mainly upper epidermis)

*have few chloroplasts and are covered by a thin layer of a waxy

material called the cuticle

*cuticle reduces water loss by evaporation

*cuticle acts as a barrier to the entry of diseases-causing

microorganisms such as bacteria

> lower epidermis ; for gas exchange

*lower epidermis has many holes ( pores) called stomata ( upper epidermis contains

fewer or no stomata)

*stomata allow carbon dioxide to diffuse into the leaf to reach the photosynthetic
tissues

*stomata allow oxygen and water vapour to diffuse out

*each stomata is formed as a gap between two highly specialised cells called guard
cells

*guard cells can change their shape to open or close the stoma
> Mesophyll cells ; in the middle of the leaf are 2 layers of photosynthetic cells

- 1) Palisade mesophyll layer ; photosynthesis

*just below the upper epidermis

*long, narrow cells, each containing hundreds

of chloroplasts

*main site of photosynthesis

*close to the source of light, upper epidermis is

is relatively transparent, allowing light to pass

through to the enormous numbers of

chloroplasts which lie below

- 2) spongy mesophyll layer ; gas exchange surface

*below the palisade layer, is a tissue made of more

rounded, loosely packed cells, with air spaces between them

*main gas exchange surface of the leaf

*absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen and water

*the air spaces allow these gases to diffuse in and out of the mesophyll
 *these cells also photosynthesis, but have fewer

chloroplasts than the palisade cells

> xylem ; transport of water and mineral ions

*this forms a continuous transport system throughout the plant

*water is absorbed by the roots and passes up through the stem and

through veins in the leaves in the transpiration stream

*in the leaves, the water leaves the xylem and supplies the mesophyll

cells

> phloem ; transport of sugars

*the products of photosynthesis, such as sugars, are carried away from the mesophyll cells phloem

*the phloem supplies all other parts of the plants, so that tissues and oranges that can’t make their own
food receive products of Photosynthesis

*starch is insoluble. So cannot be transported around the plant. The phloem Carries only

soluble substances such as sugars ( mainly sucrose) and amino acids. These are converted into other

compounds when they reach their destination

Relationship between photosynthesis and respiration
● through photosynthesis, plants supply animals with food and oxygen as well
as remove carbon dioxide from the air
● the living cells, including plant cells, respire all the time and they need
oxygen for this
● when the light intensity is high, a plant Carries out photosynthesis at a much
higher rate than it respires
● in bright light, there is an overall uptake of carbon dioxide from the air
around a plant’s leaves, and a surplus production of oxygen that animals can
use
● a plant only produces more carbon dioxide than it uses up in dim light
● this can be explained as a graph of carbon dioxide exchanged at different
light intensities
● the point where the curve crosses the dashed line shows where
photosynthesis is equal to respiration - there is no net gain or loss of CO 2 -
light compensation point
How does photosynthesis affect the
concentration of CO2 in the air?

● the concentration of CO2 in the air around plants actually

changes throughout the day
● air contains least CO2 in the afternoon, when
photosynthesis takes place at its highest rate
● at night, when there is no photosynthesis, the level of
CO2 rises
● this rise is due to less CO2 absorption by the plants,
while CO2 is being added to the air from the respiration of
all organisms
To investigate the effect of light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis
To investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis
Testing leaves for Starch
To investigate the requirement of chlorophyll for photosynthesis
To investigate the requirement of CO2 for photosynthesis
Homework :
Answer questions 1- 7 ( page number 148 - 150 )