PHOTOSYNTHESIS

 
FLOW OF ENERGY IN THE LIVING WORLD
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Is the process of converting light energy into
glucose.
All energy used by living cells comes
ultimately from the sun, captured by plants
and some algae through photosynthesis.
Recall that plant cells contain chloroplasts
that carry out photosynthesis.
 THREE STAGES OF
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 STAGE 1. capturing energy from sunlight
 STAGE 2. making ATP
 STAGE 3. building carbohydrates
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 The first two processes are involved in the light-
dependent reaction because they take place only in
the presence of light.
 The third process, which involves the formation of
organic molecules from atmospheric CO2 and can take
place in the light or dark is called light-independent
reaction. As long as ATP is available, it occurs as
readily in the absence of light as in its presence.
 Stage 1. Capturing Energy
from Sunlight
 Light consists of tiny packets of energy called
photons.
 Molecules that absorb light are called pigments.
Plants have pigments in their cells that absorb the
energy of light.
 The main pigment used in photosynthesis is
chlorophyll. It is a pigment that absorbs red and blue
light and reflects greenlight. Plants containing
chlorophyll appear green.
 Stage 1. Capturing Energy
from Sunlight
 Photosynthesis in plants
occurs within the
chloroplast. The
chlorophyll, which absorbs
photons or the tiny packets
of energy, is found in
dislike structures called
thylakoids.
 Stage 2. Making ATP
 Inside the chloroplast
surrounding the thylakoids
is a semiliquid substance
called stroma. In the
membranes of thylakoids,
chlorophyll pigments are
grouped together in a
network called
photosystem.
 Stage 2. Making ATP
When light strikes the chlorophyll in the
photosystem, the resulting excitation passes from
one chlorophyll to another. Energy is then passed
from one chlorophyll to another. Eventually, the
energy arrives at a key chlorophyll touching a
membrane-bound protein. The energy is then
transferred to that protein which, in turn, passes
it to a series of proteins that utilizes the energy
to make ATP and build organic molecules.
 Stage 2. Making ATP
The end products of the light reactions are
nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
phosphate (NADPH), O2, and ATP. O2 is
released into the atmosphere, while the
rest of the chemicals are released into the
stroma of chloroplasts and are next used to
drive the dark reactions of photosynthesis.
Stage 3. Building Carbohydrates
 The ultimate goal of photosynthesis is to capture carbon
atoms from carbon dioxide in the air and use them to make
carbohydrates that store energy.
 In a series of reactions, plants produce a number of carbon
dioxide containing molecules.
 From these molecules, plants can then assemble more
complex carbohydrates, such as glucose, and other
compounds needed for energy and growth. This series of
reactions is called Calvin Cycle (named after its discoverer,
Melvin Calvin).
Stage 3. Building Carbohydrates
 The Calvin cycle occurs in the chloroplasts,
using chlorophyll to convert light energy into
glucose. The energy that fuels the Calvin cycle
comes from ATP made during the light-
independent of photosynthesis.
Stage 3. Building Carbohydrates
The metabolic steps of the Calvin cycle are
sometimes referred to as the dark reactions or
light-independent reactions, because none of
the steps directly requires light. The Calvin
cycle in most plants occur during daylight, for
only then can light reactions provide the needed
NADPH and ATP. In essence, the chloroplast uses
light energy to make sugar by coordinating the
two stages of photosynthesis.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 The overall process of photosynthesis may be summarized by
the following equation:

6CO2 + 12H2O + light energy C6H12O6 + 6O2

carbon dioxide water glucose oxygen