Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the most important chemical reaction in the world in

terms of human life. However, did you know that phytoplankton, an
aggregate of one-celled plants that live at the ocean surface, accounts for
the production of more than 50 percent of the oxygen produced
photosynthesis.

the photosynthetic cells arranged into a tightly packed sheath

Bundle around the vein of a leaf.
Sheath Cells

plants in which the initial product of the assimilation of carbon dioxide through
photosynthesis is 3-phosphoglycerate, which contains 3 carbon atoms.
C3 Plant

a plant that cycles carbon dioxide into four-carbon sugar compounds to enter into
the Calvin cycle.
C4 Plant

the cycle of enzyme-catalyzed dark reactions of photosynthesis that occurs in the

chloroplasts of plants and in many bacteria and that involves the fixation of carbon
Calvin Cycle dioxide and the formation of a 6-carbon sugar.

a carbon fixation pathway that evolved in some plants as an

CAM adaptation to arid conditions that allows a plant to photosynthesize
Photosynthe during the day, but only exchange gases at night.
sis
 Photosyntheis

the process by which plants fix atmospheric carbon to form organic compounds.
Carbon
Fixation

a complex carbohydrate that is the chief part of the cell walls of plants and is
commonly obtained as a white stringy substance from vegetable matter
Cellulose

a pigment present in all green plants and a few other organisms

Chlorophyll
a

accessory pigment that is present in all plants, algae, bacteria, cyanobacteria and
phototrophs
Chlorophyll
b

A chloroplast is an organelle within the cells of plants and certain algae that is the
site of photosynthesis
Chloroplast

Light These reactions occur within specialised membrane discs within the chloroplast
called thylakoids and involve three steps:
Dependent
Reactions
 Photosyntheis

The light-dependent reaction is a photochemical reaction taking place in the

thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts, where light energy is transformed into
Light Independent adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
Reactions (NADPH).

The cells and tissues that support and give structure to organs, glands, or other
tissues in the bod.
Stroma

any of the membranous disks of lamellae within plant chloroplasts that are
composed of protein and lipid and are the sites of the photochemical reactions of
Thylakoid photosynthesis.

C3 vs C4 Leaves
 Photosynthesis
What is a photosynthesis? A chemical process that occurs in plants, algae, and some types
of bacteria, when they are exposed to sunlight.

Where does photosynthesis occur Photosynthesis takes place in

AND why is it considered a
fundamental energy?
The energy that is harnessed from
photosynthesis enters the ecosystems
of our planet continuously and is
transferred from one organism to
another.
chloroplasts. Explain what
happens in the chloroplasts.
The reactions of photosynthesis in a
chloroplast. Water is oxidized and
oxygen is released in the photosynthetic
electron-transfer reactions, while
carbon dioxide is assimilated.
 Chloroplasts

What are the major structures within a chloroplast and how do they
work?
Thylakoids are disc-shaped and collect photons from a light source (usually the
sun).