AP Biology 2007-2008

Quick Review…….

AP Biology
AP Biology
 Chloroplast structure
1. Outer membrane
2. Intermembrane space
3. Inner membrane
4. Stroma
5. Thylakoid lumen
6. Thylakoid
7. Granum
8. Lamellae
9. Starch granule
10. Ribosomes
11. Chloroplast DNA
12. Lipid droplets

AP Biology
 Objectives
1. Define the term photosystem as molecules that captures energy

2. Explain the term photophosphorylation by considering the etymology of the word

3. Distinguish between cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation using at least 5 key features

4. Explain the Z- Scheme as a simple way of summarizing what happens to electrons during the
light dependent reactions.

5. Draw an annotated diagram that shows cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation for
homework

6. Complete table that shows the shows the differences between cyclic and non-cyclic
photophosphorylation as a class

AP Biology
 observe figure 1.8 and answer the
following questions.
Home Work
▪ 1. a. Explain why chlorophyll
looks green.

Cholorphyll absorbs red and blue

light, but only a small amount of green
light that is reflected from it
▪ b. what colour are carotenoids?

Carotenoids absorb blue and green

light, but do not absorb yellow or red.
They therefore appear yellow, orange
or red.

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 Photosystems &
Photophosphorylation

AP Biology
 Photosystems
There are two types of
photosystems:

▪ PSI- PS700nm
▪ Found mostly on
intergranal lamellae
▪ PSII-PS680nm
▪ Found mostly on
granal lamellae
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 Photosystems
▪ Units that are responsible fot capturing
the solar energy to be used in the light
dependent reactions.

▪ These photosystems pass electrons

from one molecule to another and
some of his electron flow is used for
ATP synthesis.

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 Photosystem Composition:
▪ Antennae complex- different
pigments arranged strategically
to absorb maximum amount of
light
▪ The reaction centre which is
made of a special type of
chlorophyll A
▪ The type of chlorophyll A present
determines whether it is
photosystem 1 or photosystem 2
▪ If chlorophyll A is 680nm= PSII
▪ If chlorophyll B is 700nm = PSI
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 Photosystem Key Words
▪ Antenna complex
The group of pigment molecules is called
antenna complex because they absorb light
energy and funnel or concentrate into one
chlorophyll molecule at the reaction centre.

Reaction centre
The part of a photosystem to which light
energy is funnelled. It contains two chlorophyll
A molecules that emit electrons
AP Biology
 Photophosphorylation

AP Biology
 Photophosphorylation
▪ Photophosphorylation refers to the
use of light energy from
photosynthesis to ultimately provide
the energy to convert ADP to ATP.

AP Biology
 Photophosphorylation
▪ It refer to the production of ATP, b
combining a phosphate group with
ADP, using energy that originally came
from light:

▪ ADP + Phosphate  ATP

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 Photophosphorylation
▪ To carry out photosynthesis the plant
will need energy!

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 Photophosphorylation
▪ First, an electron from P680 or P700 is
boosted to a higher energy level, that is it
acquires excitation energy.

▪ Instead of falling back into the photosystem

losing energy it is captured by an electron
acceptor in (X or Y ). This represents the
important conversion of light energy to
chemical energy.
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 Photophosphorylation
▪ The electron acceptor is thus reduced
and positively charged (oxidized)
chlorophyll molecule is left in the
photosystem
▪ The electron then travels down here in
terms in energy terms rather from one
electron acceptor to another in a series
of oxidation reduction or redox reactions
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 Photophosphorylation
▪ The energy lost during this electron flow is
“coupled” to the formation of ATP.

▪ The pathway followed by the electron can be

cyclic, returning to where it began or non-
cyclic, ending at NADP.

▪ When electrons are added to NADP it is

changed to reduced NADP.
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 Cyclic Photophosphorylation

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 Cyclic photophosphorylation
▪ Cyclic photophosphorylation the cyclic electron
pathway starts when PS1 antenna complex p700
absorb solar energy and the accessory pigment
funnel it to chlorophyll A reaction center molecule. 

▪ The higher energy electrons leave the reaction

center molecule enter the electron transport
system and are eventually returned to ps1 there is
insufficient absorption of light energy to sustain
their movement along the electron transport chain .

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 Cyclic photophosphorylation
▪ The electron transport system consists of a series of carrier molecules
and as electrons pass from one carrier molecule to the next energy is
released.

• The excited electrons from PSI (P700) will be

redirected back to the electron carriers to aid the
production of ATP instead and then to PSI once
more.
• If this continues ATP will accumulate

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 Cyclic phosphorylation
▪ Happens if enough NADP isn’t present in
the stroma to accept the electrons from
PSI .

▪ Recall that NADP is needed to create

NADPH

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 OBSERVE AND ANALYZE THE DIAGRAM
BELOW
• Light is absorbed by pigments in
photosystem I.
• Electrons in reaction centre
excited to a higher energy level.
• Electrons passed along electron
transports chain and loses energy
as it moves from one acceptor to
the next.
• Energy lost is used to bind an
inorganic phosphate molecule to
a n ADP molecule.
• Lower energy electrons are sent
back to PSI (P700)

AP Biology
AP Biology
 Review
What is photophosphorylation?
▪ A process that happens during the light
reaction stage of photosynthesis.
▪ Photophosphorylation uses light energy
to convert ADP to ATP

2. What are the two type of

photophosphorylation?
▪ Non-cyclic photophosphorylation
▪ Cyclic photophosphorylation
AP Biology
 STEPS IN NON-CYCLIC
PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION
▪ Site: Photosystem 2 (PSII/ P680)
enmbedded in thylakoid
membrane

▪ Light is absorbed by the primary

and accessory pigment molecules
in photosystem 2.

▪ Light energy passes from one

pigment molecule to the next until
it reaches the reaction centre
which is made of a special
chlorophyll A molecule that
absorbs wavelengths of 680nm
AP Biology (P680)
 NON-CYCLIC PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION

Step 2
▪ Site: Photosystem 2 (PSII/ P680) embedded in
thylakoid membrane
▪ When light energy reaches the reaction centre a pair of
electrons within the P680 chlorophyll A molecule
becomes excited to a higher energy level as it gains
energy from the light energy.
▪ These two electrons are excited and therefore unstable.
▪ The two high energy electrons are transferred to the
primary acceptor (Phaeophytin )

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 NON-CYCLIC PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION

Step 3
• Site: PSII embedded in thylakoid membrane
• Light energy is also used to split water by a process called photolysis into :
- 1 oxygen atom
- 2 hygrogen ions (H+)
- 2 electrons (e-)
• The oxygen is released as a waste product
• The hydrogen ions will accumulate in the lumen of the thylakoid forming an
electrochemical gradient between the stroma and the thylakoid lumen.
• The electrons are used to replace the two electrons that were previously lost
by the P680 chlorophyll A molecule in the reaction centre.

AP Biology
 NON-CYCLIC PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION
Step 4
• Site: within thylakoid membrane and PSI
• The primary acceptor (Phaeophytin) passes the two excited electrons
along a series of electron carriers (this is called the electron transport
chain).
• The electrons will travel along this electron transport chain as it moves
from PSII to its destination in PSI.
• The electrons gradually lose energy as they are passed from one
acceptor to the other
- Plastoquinone (Pq) to Cytochrome complex and then to Plastocyanin
(Pc)
• The energy that is gradually lost is used along with cytochrome
complex to facilitate the uptake of Hydrogen ions (H+) from the stroma
into the thylakoid lumen by active transport.
• By the time the two electrons reach PSI they have returned to their
original energy level and are now considered to be low energy
electrons.
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NON-CYCLIC
PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION
Step 5
• Site: Lumen of thylakoid and stroma
• Steps 5 depicts the process of chemiosmosis.

What is Chemiosmosis?
The movement (diffusion) of ions (in this case H+ ions) down an
electrochemical gradient, from an area where they are found in higher
concentration (Thylakoid lumen) to an area where they are found in lower
concentration (stroma) across a semipermeable membrane (thylakoid membrane).

Chemiosmosis aids the process of ATP formation. It allows protons (H+) to pass
through the membrane and uses the free energy difference to phosphorylate
adenosine diphosphate (ADP), making ATP.
Let’s use a more detailed diagram to study the process:
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AP Biology
 • Recall that cytochrome
complex pumps H+ ions
from stroma to thylakoid
lumen by active transport-
this process uses up energy
(ATP).
• In chemiosmosis the
enzyme ATPsynthase uses
kinetic energy released as
H+ protons diffuse into the
stroma to bond an
inorganic phosphate
molecule to an ADP
molecule in order to form
ATP.
AP Biology
 Question
Why is cytochrome complex and ATP synthase needed to
transport Hydrogen ions/protons into and out of the
thylakoid ?

The thylakoid membrane is almost impermeable to

hydrogen ions, so they can only diffuse from
thylakoid to stroma or stroma to thylakoid via
special channel proteins such as cytochrome
complex; the enzyme ATP synthase is also attached
to a channel protein embedded in the membrane.

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 NON-CYCLIC PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION

Step 6
▪ Site: PSI embedded in thylakoid membrane
▪ Recall that two low energy electrons arrived at PSI from PSII.
▪ Light energy will be absorbed by the primary and accessory
pigment molecules in PSI.
▪ Light energy passes from one pigment molecule to the next until
it reaches the reaction centre which is made of a special
chlorophyll A molecule that absorbs wavelengths of 700nm
(P700)
▪ The two electrons in P700 are re-excited to a higher, unstable
energy level and sent to the primary acceptor

AP Biology
 NON-CYCLIC PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION

Step 7
▪ Site: within thylakoid membrane
▪ The primary acceptor send the excited electron
along another Electron Transport Chain.
Ferredoxin (Fd) accepts the electron from the
primary acceptor and sends it to the enzyme
Ferredox- NADP+ reductase.
▪ The energy level of the electron reduces as it
passes from one electron acceptor to the next.

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 NON-CYCLIC PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION

Step 8
▪ Site: within thylakoid membrane
▪ The energy from the electrons is used to combine NADP
molecules present in the stroma with the H+ protons that
were previously pumped out of the thylakoid lumen via
chemiosmosis.
▪ H+ protons + 2 electrons + NADP = NADPH

▪ This results in reduced NADP aka NADPH being formed

▪ Now we have ATP and NADPH which are needed for the
Calvin Cycle.
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AP Biology
 Review
HOW MUCH DID YOU LEARN ABOUT
PHOTOPHOSPHORYLATION?

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