ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Photolysis
- PSII absorbs light and transfers electrons to P680
- oxidizes water, releasing O2.

Photophosphorylation
- takes place in the presence of light.

It occurs in chloroplast in two ways:

1. Non-cyclic photophosphorylation
- Electrons flowing from water molecules to PSI
- Electrons do not return to the same molecule.

2. Cyclic photophosphorylation
- returns electrons to the oxidized P700 molecule
- formation of ATP through downhill electron movement.

Cyclic phosphorylation Non-cyclic phosphorylation

1. Only PSI is functional. 1. Both PSI and PSII are functional.
2. Electron comes from the chlorophyll P700 2. It gets photolyzed through Photolysis.
molecule and returns to the same chlorophyll
P700.
3. Oxygen is not evolved 3 . Oxygen is evolved as a by-product
4. This process is found mainly in photosynthetic 4 . mainly takes place in all green plants and
eubacteria e.g purple sulfur bacteria. cyanobacteria except photosynthetic eubacteria.

If cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation occur side by side, The efficiency of energy conversion in the
light reactions of photosynthesis is high at about 39%.

BIOSYNTHETIC PATHWAY ( DARK REACTION )

Synthesis of carbohydrates
- Requires both NADPH2 and ATP produced during light reaction.

Fixation of CO2
- These series of reactions which catalyze the reduction of CO2 to carbohydrates
- take place in the stroma of the chloroplast.

Dark reactions
- The products of light reactions
- can continue even without light.

Carbon fixation
- Produce sugar in leaves.
- Sugar is exported to other tissues for growth and metabolism.

CO2 fixation (Dark reaction)

- Has two major pathways

1. C3 cycle
- Also called Calvin cycle after Melvin Calvin.
- The reaction of atmospheric CO2 with ribulose bisphosphate (a 5-carbon sugar).
- formation of 3-phosphoglyceric acid (PGA).
- Carboxylation is catalyzed by the abundant enzyme ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
which is also the first stable product of this pathway.

PGA
- Converted into triose plants and animal phosphate using NADPH2 and ATP
- Then diverted from the C3 cycle for glucose and sucrose synthesis
- To complete the cycle, the initial 5-carbon acceptor molecule, RuBP is regenerated from the triose phosphates
using ATP molecule
- C3 cycle continues to regenerate the CO2-acceptor (RuBP).

2.C4 Cycle
- Also known as the Hatch Slack Cycle.
- Adaptation for plants growing under a dry hot environment.
- Low water content, high temperature and high light intensity.
- Examples: Sugar cane, Maize (corn).
- Photorespiration is absent in these plants so the photosynthetic rate is high.

Kranz anatomy
- The leaves of C4 plants that show presence of dimorphic chloroplast
- The vascular bundles have a sheath of large parenchyma cells around them in the form of a wreath (Kranz =
wreath).
- Leaves possess two types of chloroplasts
- Chloroplasts in the mesophyll cells are smaller and have well developed grana but do not accumulate starch.
- Chloroplasts in the bundle sheath cells are larger and lack grana but contain numerous starch grains

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN C3 AND C4 PLANTS

1. Carbon dioxide fixation
C3 plants
- Occurs once.
C4 plants
- Occurs twice.

2. Carbon dioxide acceptor

C3 plants
- Only one acceptor
C4 plants
- The compound, PEP, 3-C, is a co2 acceptor in Mesophyll cells, while RuBP, 5C, is the co2 acceptor in
bundle sheath cells.

3. Carbon dioxide fixing enzymes

C3 plants
- RuBP carboxylase (not efficient when C02 conc is low)
C4 plants
- PEP carboxylase (very efficient)

4. First product of photosynthesis

C3 plants
- C compound 3-phosphoglyceric acid
C4 plants
- C compound 4-oxaloatic acid

5. Concentration of CO2
C3 plants
- Higher CO2 conc. Promotes photosynthesis
C4 plants
- Photosynthetic efficiency is high even if C02 conc. Is low

6. Leaf anatomy
C3 plants
- One type of chloroplast, Kranz’ anatomy is absent
C4 plants
- Two types of chloroplasts are present

7. Photorespiration
C3 plants
- Occurs; excess of oxygen is an inhibitor of photosynthesis
C4 plants
- Photorespiration is absent.
8. Efficiency
C3 plants
- Less efficient photosynthesis than C4 plants.
C4 plants
- More efficient photosynthesis compared to C3 plants.