PHOTOSYNTHESIS: BASIC FACTS



PHOTOSYNTHESIS: BASIC FACTS

THE COMPLETE PROCESS:

A) DEFINED AS: the process by which plants harness the sun’s light energy to produce glucose and oxygen.

B) REQUIRES 4 THINGS:

1 – light

2 – water

3 – carbon dioxide

4 – chlorophyll

C) IMPORTANT EQUATION:

Light energy

6CO2 + 6H2O ------------------------( 6O2 + C6H12O6

D) RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS DEPENDS ON:

1 – light intensity

2 – availability of raw materials

3 – temperature

SITE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS: THE CHLOROPLAST

1 – contains chlorophyll in stacks of disks called grana-makes up the thylakoid membranes

2 – liquid compartment is called the stroma

E) PIGMENTS INVOLVED IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS:

1 – chlorophyll is the green pigment; acts as a light trap

2 – xanthophyll is a yellow pigment; passes light to the chlorophyll

3 – carotene is an orange pigment; passes light to the chlorophyll

F) TWO PHASES OR STEPS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS:

1 – Light Dependent Stage (AKA the Light Reactions) – occurs in the thylakoid membranes (grana)

A. Sunlight is absorbed by the chlorophyll inside the chloroplast

B. The chlorophyll changes the energy from the sunlight into ATP

C. Some of the sun’s energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen

D. End result is oxygen released from the leaf into the atmosphere

2 – Light Independent Stage (AKA the Calvin Cycle, or Dark Reactions) – occurs in the stroma

A. ATP (from the light dependent stage) and hydrogen (from the water that was split) combines with carbon dioxide (from the atmosphere)

B. The end result is glucose being made from those combined molecules

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