Advanced Biology

Photosynthesis
 Photosynthesis
 Stores light energy as the chemical energy of food
 Occurs in plants, algae, certain other protists, and some prokaryotes
(bacteria)

These organisms use Plants

light energy to drive the
synthesis of organic
molecules from carbon
dioxide
and (in most cases)
water.
Unicellular protist Purple sulfur
bacteria

10 µm

1.5 µm

Multicellular algae Cyanobacteria 40 µm

Chloroplasts: The Site of
Photosynthesis in Plants
 The leaves of plants are the major sites of photosynthesis

Leaf cross section

Vein

Mesophyll

CO2 O2
Stomata
 Mesophyll
Chloroplasts
Chloroplast

5 µm

Outer
membrane

Thylakoid Thylakoid Intermembrane

Stroma Granum space space
Inner
membrane

7.1 1 µm
Capturing Sunlight

7.2
Summary Equation for Photosynthesis
6 CO2 + 12 H2O + Light energy C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2 O

C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + Chemical Energy

Summary Equation for Respiration

7.3
Overview of Photosynthesis
 Light Reactions
 Occur in the grana
 Split water, release oxygen, produce
ATP, and form NADPH
 Calvin Cycle
 Occurs in the stroma
 Forms sugar from carbon dioxide, using
ATP for energy and NADPH for
reducing power

7.4
Photosynthesis is a redox process
 Photosynthesis uses the following
compounds:

 Water is oxidized (loses electrons)

 Broken down into Hydrogen and Oxygen

 Carbon dioxide is reduced (gains electrons)

 Combined into 5 carbon sugars

7.5
Photosynthesis Uses Light Energy
 What color are
chloroplasts?

 What colors are

absorbed by
chloroplasts?

7.6
Use of Light in Photosynthesis
 Chlorophyll a is the main
photosynthetic pigment
 The others are accessory
pigments and pass
energy to chlorophyll a

 The rate of
photosynthesis roughly
matches the absorption
spectrum
 Why?
7.6
Chlorophyll a
 The main
photosynthetic
pigment
Questions
 Name four photosynthetic pigments found in most
leaves.
 At what wavelengths do each of these pigments
absorb light? What color are these pigments?
 Look at the leaves at your table. What pigments do
they contain? Why does the color of leaves change
in the autumn?
Light Energy Absorption
 When a pigment absorbs light
 Its electrons are then excited from their ground
state to a higher energy level

Energy
absorbed

Energy
lost
Nucleus
 The
Photosystem
 Captures light
energy
 Causes electrons
to become excited
 Transfers
electrons to an
electron transport
chain through the
1° electron
acceptor

7.7
 The Light
Reactions
(noncyclic electron flow)

How is the electron replaced?

7.8
 The Light
Reactions
(noncyclic electron flow)

6 CO2 + 12 H2O + Light energy

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2 O

7.8
 The Light
Reactions

(noncyclic electron flow)

How is ATP
produced? Think
back to respiration.

7.8
 Key
Higher [H+]
Lower [H+]
Mitochondrion Chloroplast

MITOCHONDRION CHLOROPLAST
STRUCTURE STRUCTURE
H+ Diffusion
Intermembrane Thylakoid
space space

Membrane
Electron
transport
chain
Chemiosmosis
ATP
Synthase Stroma
in the
Chloroplast
Matrix
ADP+ P
ATP
H+

7.11
 The Light
Reactions
(noncyclic electron flow)

7.8
 The Light
Reactions
(noncyclic electron flow)

7.8
The Products of Noncyclic Light Reactions

 Oxygen
 ATP
 NADPH (differs slightly from NADH)

Will PSI work without PSII?

7.9
Cyclic Electron Flow

WHY?
7.10
Review

7.11
 The Calvin Cycle
 Occurs in the Stroma
 Requires
 ATP
 NADPH
 CO2

 Produces
 3 Carbon Sugars (which are converted to 6 carbon sugars
in other pathways)

7.12
 Phase 1: Carbon Fixation
3 x 5Carbon RuBP’s 6 x 3Carbon GP’s

3 CO2

The Calvin
7.13
Cycle
 RuBP Carboxylase - RUBISCO

4800 Amino Acids

16 Subunits

Most abundant protein in the biosphere (4 billion tons/year synthesized)

 Phase 2: Reduction
ATP provides energy to reduce
3PG to G3P

The Calvin
7.13
Cycle
 Phase 3:
Regeneration of
RuBP
5 x 3Carbon 3 x 5Carbon

The Calvin
7.13
Cycle
The Calvin Cycle
 Each Turn
 1 CO2 is Fixed
 2 NADPH are used
 3 ATP are used
 2 G3P’s are generated
 Regeneration
5 3Carbon Molecules 3 5Carbon Molecules

7.14
 Light reaction Calvin cycle
H2O CO2
Photosynthesis:
Light
NADP+
ADP
+P1
RuBP 3-Phosphoglycerate Review
Photosystem II
Electron transport chain
Photosystem I
ATP G3P
NADPH Starch
(storage)
Amino acids
Fatty acids
Chloroplast
O2 Sucrose (export)

Light reactions:
• Are carried out by molecules in the
thylakoid membranes
• Convert light energy to the chemical
energy of ATP and NADPH
• Split H2O and release O2 to the
atmosphere
Calvin cycle reactions:
• Take place in the stroma
• Use ATP and NADPH to convert
CO2 to the sugar G3P
• Return ADP, inorganic phosphate,
and NADP+ to the light reactions