• Section Objectives

• Relate the structure of chloroplasts to the events in

photosynthesis
• Describe light-dependent reactions.
• Explain the reactions and products of the light-
independent Calvin cycle.
 Photosynthesis:
Life from Light and Air

2006-2007
 Trapping Energy from Sunlight

• The process that uses the sun’s energy to make

simple sugars is called photosynthesis.
 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

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 Plants are energy producers
• Like animals, plants need energy to live
– unlike animals, plants don’t need to eat food to
make that energy
• Plants make both FOOD & ENERGY
– animals are heterotrophs(consumers)
– plants are autotrophs (producers)
How do plants make energy & food?
• Plants use the energy from the sun
– to make ATP energy
– to make sugars
• glucose, sucrose, cellulose, starch, & more
sun
ATP

sugars
 Building plants from sunlight & air
• Photosynthesis
– 2 separate processes sun
– ENERGY building reactions
• collect sun energy
• use it to make ATP
– SUGAR building reactions ATP
• take the ATP energy
• collect CO2 from air &
H 2O +
H2O from ground CO2
• use all to build sugars
carbon dioxide water sugars sugars
CO2 + HO C6H12O6
2
What do plants need to grow?
• The “factory” for making
energy & sugars Make ATP!
Make sugar!
sun I can do it all…
– chloroplast And no one
even notices!
• Fuels
CO2
– sunlight
ATP
– carbon dioxide
– water enzymes

• The Helpers
H 2O
– enzymes sugars
 So what does a plant
• Bring In need?
– light leaves
– CO2
– H2O
• Let Out
– O2 shoot
• Move Around
roots
– sugars

6CO2 + 6H2O + light  C6H12O6 + 6O2

energy
Photosynthesis sun

ENERGY
building
reactions
ADP ATP
SUGAR used immediately
building to synthesize sugars
reactions
H 2O sugar
CO2
 Chloroplasts absorb
Leaf sunlight & CO2

Leaves sun CO2

Chloroplasts
in cell

Chloroplast
Chloroplast
Chloroplasts make
contain ENERGY & SUGAR
Chlorophyll
Stomates & Guard Cells
in the
• Function of stomates
leaf
– CO2 in
– O2 out
– H2O out
• gets to leaves for photosynthesis
• Function of guard cells
– open & close stomates
guard cell

stomate
An overview of photosynthesis

Chloroplast
Light H2O CO2

NADP+
ADP
+P
LIGHT CALVIN
REACTIONS CYCLE
(in grana (in stroma
ATP

NADPH

O2
O2 Sugar
 Trapping Energy from Sunlight

• Photosynthesis happens in two phases.

1. The light-dependent reactions convert light
energy into chemical energy. (ATP)
2. The molecules of ATP produced in the light-dependent
reactions are then used to fuel the Calvin Cycle or
light-independent reactions that produce simple
sugars.
• The general equation for photosynthesis is written as
6CO2 + 6H2O→C6H12O6 + 6O2
 THE LIGHT REACTIONS: CONVERTING SOLAR
ENERGY TO CHEMICAL ENERGY
Visible radiation drives the light reactions

• Certain wavelengths of visible light drive the light

reactions of photosynthesis

Gamma X-rays UV Infrared Micro- Radio

rays waves waves

Visible
light
Wavelength (nm)
 pigments in the chloroplast
• To trap the energy in the sun’s light, the thylakoid membranes contain pigments, molecules
that absorb specific wavelengths of sunlight.
• Wavelengths that are NOT absorbed are reflected (bounce off) or transmitted (pass through)
• So the material in which the pigment is found appears to be the color of the wavelengths
that are NOT absorbed
Photosynthetic pigments: can absorb light energy & make it available for conversion to
chemical energy

•
• .
Light
Reflected
light
Chloroplast

Absorbed
light
 pigments in the chloroplast
• Chlorophyll a: most common pigment in chloroplast
(absorbs blue &red light and reflects green light thus
giving the chloroplast a green color)(chloro = green
phylla + leaf)
• Accessory pigments: additional pigments that absorb
different wavelengths (carotene, chlorophyll b, &
xanthophyll)
 Light-Dependent Reactions
absorption of light energy by chlorophyll
• As sunlight strikes the chlorophyll molecules in a
photosystem of the thylakoid membrane, the energy
in the light is transferred to electrons.
• These highly energized, or excited, electrons are
passed from chlorophyll to an electron transport
chain, a series of proteins embedded in the thylakoid
membrane.
• At each step along the transport chain, the electrons
lose energy.
 Energy from the energized electrons pump
H+ ions and change NAPD+ to NADPH.

The H+ ions move from high to low and turn

the ATP synthase and change ADP + P to ATP

Energized electrons

Oxygen
by-product
Photolysis
 Light-Dependent Reactions

• Chemiosmosis: This “lost” energy can be used to

form ATP from ADP, or to pump hydrogen ions into
the center of the thylakoid disc.
• .
 Light-Dependent Reactions

• The electrons are transferred to the stroma of the

chloroplast. To do this, an electron carrier molecule
called NADP is used.
• NADP can combine with two excited electrons and a
hydrogen ion (H+) to become NADPH.
• NADPH will play an important role in the light-
independent reactions.
 Restoring electrons

• To replace the lost electrons, molecules of water are

split in the first photosystem. This reaction is called
photolysis.
• The O2 liberated by photosynthesis is made from the
oxygen in water

Chlorophyll
2
O2 + 2H+

H2O   O2 + 2e

 - 2e- H 2O
 Restoring electrons

• The oxygen produced by photolysis is released into the air and

supplies the oxygen we breathe.
• The electrons are returned to chlorophyll.
• The hydrogen ions are pumped into the thylakoid, where they
accumulate in high concentration.
Light Dependent Reactions: Summary
• Absorptions of light energy by chlorophyll-takes
place in thylakoid
1. Split water molecule (PHOTOLYSIS) Oxygen
combines with other oxygen to produce O2 which is
given off as a by-product
2. Hydrogen produced by splitting of water is
attached to hydrogen carrier NADP -> NADPH
(energy in this molecule)
3. Then energy from “excited electrons”is used to
take ADP + P ->ATP
Light Independent Reactions or The Calvin Cycle

• CO2 put into organic molecules called Carbon

fixation
• Does not require light but must have ATP and
NADPH which are produced by light
dependent reactions
• Called Calvin Cycle (Melvin Calvin won Nobel
prize in chemistry)
• Takes place in stroma of chloroplast
 Light Independent Reactions or The Calvin
Cycle

• The Calvin cycle

INPUT
constructs G3P (a
sugar) using
– carbon from
atmospheric CO2
– electrons and H+ from CALVIN
NADPH CYCLE
– energy from ATP
• Energy-rich sugar
(G3P) is then
converted into OUTPUT:
glucose
 So what does a plant
• Bring In need?
– light leaves
– CO2
– H2O
• Let Out
– O2 shoot
• Move Around
roots
– sugars

6CO2 + 6H2O + light  C6H12O6 + 6O2

energy
An overview of photosynthesis

Chloroplast
Light H2O CO2

NADP+
ADP
+P
LIGHT CALVIN
REACTIONS CYCLE
(in grana (in stroma
ATP

NADPH

O2 Sugar
 Factors Affecting Rate of Photosynthesis

1. Temperature: increases rate up to a certain point

2. Light Intensity: increases rate up to a certain point
3. CO2 level: Increases rate up to a certain point
4. Water: decrease water, decrease photosynthesis
5. Minerals; Ex. Magnesium, Nitrogen