Living Organisms

And The
Environment:

Photosynthesis .
The process by which
green plants and some
other organisms use
sunlight to synthesize
foods from carbon
dioxide and water
Photosynthesis takes place
inside of the chloroplast of
plant cells. Chlorophyll
can trap some of the light
that strikes it and use the
energy that light contains
to break the molecules
apart .
Light and Dark Stages Of
Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis follows two

distinct stages a light dependent
stage and a light independent
stage or dark stage.
 Water in the presence
of chlorophyll

Given Off

Hydrogen
Oxygen
Light Stage

Dark Stage

Hydrogen

Glucose
Carbon
Dioxide
In the light dependent stage water is split
into Hydrogen and oxygen, the oxygen is
given off as a by product of photosynthesis

The dark stage does not need light that does

not say that it occurs at night.

It just means that light is not needed

In the dark stage hydrogen is combined with

carbon dioxide to produce glucose
The glucose made in photosynthesis is used in many ways :

These are:

It is broken down during respiration to release energy so that

the plant can carry out the processes of life.

It is converted to starch and stored in the leaf to be used in the

night when the plant is not photosynthesising.

It is converted to sucrose and transported to other parts of the

plant, where it can be converted to carbohydrates lipids and
proteins and used for growth or converted to starch and
stored e.g. in potatoes
So how does light affect the production of
starch by the plant?

The rate of photosynthesis increases as light

intensity increases and decreases as intensity
decreases.

However there comes a time where the more

light that is added does not increase the rate of
photosynthesis? It just remains the same the
plant is photosynthesising at optimal
efficiency.
Carbon Cycle
NITROGEN
CYCLE