PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Bellringer
WHAT HAPPENED TO MY PLANT????
AN OVERVIEW OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

• Photosynthesis is the process by which

autotrophic organisms use light energy to
make sugar and oxygen gas from carbon
dioxide and water

Carbon Water Glucose Oxygen

dioxide gas
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Energy can be transformed from
one form to another
FREE ENERGY
(available for work)
vs.
HEAT
(not available for work)
 THE SUN: MAIN SOURCE OF
ENERGY FOR LIFE ON EARTH
 THE BASICS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Almost all plants are photosynthetic autotrophs, as
are some bacteria and protists
– Autotrophs generate their own organic matter through
photosynthesis
– Sunlight energy is transformed to energy stored in the
form of chemical bonds

(c) Euglena (d) Cyanobacteria

(b) Kelp
(a) Mosses, ferns, and
flowering plants
Ingredients and Components

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Food Chain
THE FOOD WEB
• The location and structure of chloroplasts
Chloroplast
LEAF CROSS SECTION MESOPHYLL CELL
LEAF

Mesophyll

CHLOROPLAST Intermembrane space

Outer
membrane

Granum Inner
membrane
Grana Stroma Thylakoid
Stroma Thylakoid compartment
 What is a pigment?
Substance that absorbs visible light
Different pigments absorb light of
different wavelengths
Arranged into clusters called
photosystems (more on that later!)
WHY ARE PLANTS GREEN?

It's not that easy bein' green

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that…

Kermit the Frog

Electromagnetic Spectrum and
Visible Light
Gamma Infrared &
rays X-rays UV Microwaves Radio waves

Visible light

Wavelength (nm)
Sunlight
• Form of energy
(photons)
• Measured in
wavelengths
• Sun radiates full
spectrum, atmosphere
screens out most,
allows primarily only
visible light through
(380-750 nm)
• Amount of energy is
inversely related to
the wavelength of
light
Different wavelengths of visible light are seen by
the human eye as different colors.

Gamma Micro- Radio

X-rays UV Infrared
rays waves waves

Visible light

Wavelength (nm)
The feathers of male cardinals
are loaded with carotenoid
pigments. These pigments
absorb some wavelengths of
light and reflect others.

l i ght
fl ec ted
Re

Sunlight minus absorbed

wavelengths or colors
equals the apparent color
of an object.
Why are plants green?
ht
lig
c ted Transmitted light
efle
R
WHY ARE PLANTS GREEN?
Action spectrum
 The Pigments
• Chlorophyll a: blue-green; only pigment that
can participate directly in photosynthesis

Accessory (antennae) pigments - absorb light

and transfer it to chlorophyll a:
• Chlorophyll b: yellow-green
• Carotenoids: various shades of yellow and
orange
• Xanthophylls: purples
• Anthocyanin: yellow
Fall colors
 So what?
• Demonstration!

• Insert experiment
Electron Excitation
Okay…still, so what?
Noncyclic Photophosphorylation
• Photosystem II regains electrons by splitting water,
leaving O2 gas as a by-product E le
ct
Primary ro
n
electron acceptor tra
ns
po
rt
Primary
El
electron acceptor ec
tro
n
tra
ns
po
rt
ch
a in

Photons

Energy for
synthesis of

PHOTOSYSTEM I

PHOTOSYSTEM II by chemiosmosis
• Chloroplasts
absorb light Reflected

energy and Light light

convert it to
chemical energy

Absorbed
light

Transmitted Chloroplast
light
 • The light reactions
Light
convert solar Chloroplast
energy to chemical
energy NADP
– Produce ATP & NADPH ADP
+P
Calvin
• The Calvin cycle makes Light
reactions
cycle

sugar from carbon

dioxide
– ATP generated by the light
reactions provides the energy
for sugar synthesis
– The NADPH produced by the
light reactions provides the
electrons for the reduction of
carbon dioxide to glucose
 Chloroplasts: Sites of Photosynthesis
• Photosynthesis
– Occurs in chloroplasts, organelles in certain
plants
– All green plant parts have chloroplasts and carry
out photosynthesis
• The leaves have the most chloroplasts
• The green color comes from chlorophyll in the
chloroplasts
• The pigments absorb light energy
 Photosystems
• In the membrane of the thylakoid
• Contains several hundred molecules of
chlorophyll a and b along with accessory
pigments
• Named by the wavelength of light they
absorb (P680 and P700)
 Why have photosystems?
To harvest light over a larger surface
area and larger portion of the spectrum
than any single pigment could harvest.
Molecular Game of “Hot Potato”
Primary
electron acceptor

Photon
PHOTOSYSTEM
Reaction
center

Pigment
molecules
of antenna
• Two types of
photosystems
cooperate in the
light reactions

Photon
ATP
mill
Photon

Water-splitting NADPH-producing
photosystem photosystem
Noncyclic Photophosphorylation
• Photosystem II regains electrons by splitting water,
leaving O2 gas as a by-product E le
ct
Primary ro
n
electron acceptor tra
ns
po
rt
Primary
El
electron acceptor ec
tro
n
tra
ns
po
rt
ch
a in

Photons

Energy for
synthesis of

PHOTOSYSTEM I

PHOTOSYSTEM II by chemiosmosis
Plants produce O2 gas by splitting H2O

• The O2 liberated by photosynthesis is made

from the oxygen in water (H+ and e-)
How the Light Reactions Generate ATP and NADPH
Primary NADP
electron
acceptor
Energy
Primary to make 3
electron
acceptor 2

Light
Ele
c tr o
nt
r an
sp
o rt
Light ch
a in

Primary
electron
acceptor

Reaction-
1 center NADPH-producing
chlorophyll photosystem

Water-splitting
photosystem
2 H + 1/2
 In the light reactions, electron transport
chains generate ATP, NADPH, & O2

• Two connected photosystems collect

photons of light and transfer the energy to
chlorophyll electrons
• The excited electrons are passed from the
primary electron acceptor to electron
transport chains
– Their energy ends up in ATP and NADPH
Chemiosmosis powers ATP synthesis
in the light reactions
• The electron transport chains are arranged
with the photosystems in the thylakoid
membranes and pump H+ through that
membrane
– The flow of H+ back through the membrane is
harnessed by ATP synthase to make ATP
– In the stroma, the H+ ions combine with NADP+
to form NADPH
 • The production of ATP by chemiosmosis in
photosynthesis

Thylakoid
compartment
(high H+) Light Light

Thylakoid
membrane

Antenna
molecules

Stroma ELECTRON TRANSPORT

(low H+) CHAIN

PHOTOSYSTEM II PHOTOSYSTEM I ATP SYNTHASE

Cyclic Pathway
• A Photosynthesis Road Map

Chloroplast

Light
Stroma

Stack of NADP
thylakoids ADP
+P
Light Calvin
reactions cycle

Sugar used for

 Cellular respiration
 Cellulose
 Starch
 Other organic compounds
 Join me, on the dark side of
photosynthesis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-t2TeapTH8
overview
 Redox reactions
• Reduction: gains electrons (escorted by
hyrdrogens)
• Oxidation: loses electrons
• ATP is a limiting factor: more is used by
calvin cycle
• Need a way to fill deficit
Cyclic Photophosphorylation
• Process for ATP generation associated with
some Photosynthetic Bacteria
• Reaction Center => 700 nm
 Review: Photosynthesis uses light
energy to make food molecules

• A summary of
Chloroplast
the chemicalLight

processes of
photosynthesis Photosystem II
Electron
transport CALVIN
chains CYCLE Stroma
Photosystem I

Elec
tron
s
Cellular
respiration
Cellulose
Starch
Other
LIGHT REACTIONS CALVIN CYCLE organic
compounds
It's not that
easy bein'
green… but it
is essential for
life on earth!
Balancing Act
climate
photorespiration
 Adaptations
C4 Plants: CAM Photosynthesis:
spatial separation temporal separation