CHLOROPLASTS

Site of Photosynthesis
Double Membrane
Interior space called the STROMA
Columns of membrane bound sacs
Sacs = Thylakoids
Stacks = Grana
Membrane holding together
Thylakoids & Grana is called the
LAMELLAE
 THYLAKOID SPACE
THYLAKOID or
MEMBRANE LUMEN
PIGMENTS ARE
IMBEDDED IN THE
MEMBRANE IN
CLUSTERS CALLED
PHOTOSYSTEMS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS OVERVIEW
THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN
REMEMBER THAT VISIBLE LIGHT
LIGHT IS DETERMINED BY ITS
IS ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF
WAVELENGTH  THIS ALSO
THE ENERGY COMING FROM THE
DETERMINES THE COLOUR OF
SUN
LIGHT
 PORPHRYIN RING
CENTRAL Mg
ABSORBS LIGHT
ENERGY AND
TRANSFERS IT TO
AN ELECTRON

PHYTOL TAIL
ANCHORS
PIGMENT INTO
THE THYLAKOID
MEMBRANE
THE JOB OF PIGMENTS IS TO ABSORB
SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS OR PHOTONS OF
LIGHT. THIS ENERGY IS TRANSFERRED TO
ELECTRONS  THESE ‘catching’ PIGMENTS
ARE CALLED ANTENNA COMPLEXES
THE EXCITED ELECTRONS THEN
TRANSFER ENERGY FROM PIGMENT TO
PIGMENT IN THE PHOTOSYSTEM UNTIL
IT REACHES A REACTION CENTRE
(chlorophyll a)
AN ELECTRON IS THEN ‘KICKED’ TO A
REDOX
HIGHERREACTIONS
E-LEVEL THEN MOVE THE
ELECTRON TO A “PRIMARY ELECTRON
ACCEPTOR” CALLED PLASTOQUINONE
or PQ

 I.O.U. CONCEPT !!!!!

THERE ARE 2 PHOTOSYSTEMS:
PI or P700
ACTIVATED BY A PHOTON OF 700nm

PII or P680
680nm PHOTON ACTIVATES IT
LIGHT HAS MUTLIPLE ENTRANCE PTS
SYSTEM MUST ALSO BE ‘RELOADED’
ENERGY HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED FROM
SOLAR OR RADIANT ENERGY (light) INTO
CHEMICAL POTENTIAL ENERGY (PQ)

JUST AS IN THE ETC IN RESPIRATION

THE ELECTRONS ARE THEN MOVED
FROM ONE PROTEIN TO ANOTHER
ALONG THE MEMBRANE

(PQ  CYTOCHROME COMPLEXES  PLASTOCYANIN

Pc  P700  FERREDOXIN Fd)

THIS CAUSES H+ TO BE PUMPED INTO

THE LUMEN
EVENTUALLY THE ELECTRONS REACH
NADPH REDUCTASE – WHICH
ATTACHES THE ELECTRONS AND
SOME H+ TO NADP+ CREATING NADPH

H+ THAT BUILDS UP IN THE LUMEN

CREATE AN ELECTROCHEMICAL
GRADIENT.
AS THIS EQUALIZES THE H+ PASS
THROUGH ATP Synthase AND
CATALYZE ADP + Pi  ATP
 “Z DIAGRAM”

B
 A – NON-CYCLIC e- FLOW
A Z-PROTEIN SPLITS H20 AND THE
ELECTRONS THEN REPLENISH THOSE
LOST BY P680 (PHOTOSYSTEM II) AND
OXYGEN IS CREATED AS WASTE
CALLED NON-CYCLIC BECAUSE THE
ORIGINAL ELECTRONS ARE NOT
RETURNED TO P680
B – CYCLIC ELECTRON FLOW
SOME LIGHT WILL ONLY ACTIVATE
PHOTOSYSTEM I (P700)
THE ELECTRON IS DOES NOT GET
USED TO MAKE NADPH BUT IT DOES
HELP SYNTHESIZE ATP
INSTEAD IT IS RETURNED TO
REPLENISH PHOTOSYSTEM I (P700)
PHOTOSYNTHESIS OVERVIEW
DARK REACTIONS/CALVIN CYCLE
 OCCURS IN THE STROMA
 CYCLIC PROCESS INVOLVED IN CARBON
FIXATION  ABSORBING C02 FROM THE
AIR AND ATTACHING IT TO ORGANIC
MOLECULES
OCCURS IN 3 PHASES:

1.CARBON FIXATION
2.REDUCTION
3.REGENERATION OF RuBP
 CAR BON FIX ATION
CO2 COMES INTO THE STROMA FROM THE
LEAVES
3CO2 BINDS TO 5 EXISTING RuBP (5C) TO
FORMS 3 UNSTABLE 6C MOLECULE AND
EACH SPLITS INTO TWO 3-PG’S (3C)
3CO2 + 3 x RuBP (5C)  3 x 2 3-PG (3C)

3-PG
RuBP
THE ENZYME RUBISCO CATALYZES
THE FIXATION OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2
INTO THE TWO 3-PG MOLECULES

IT WORKS VERY SLOWLY AND MANY

COPIES ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THE
PROCESS POSSIBLE
RUBISCO MAY ACCOUNT FOR UP
TO ½ THE PROTEIN IN A LEAF 
EXTREMELY ABUNDANT
 C-FIXATION

RUBSICO

REGENERATION

REDUCTION
 REDUCTION
ATP DONATES A P TO EACH 3-PG
3-PG BECOMES 1,3-BPG
1,3-BPG IS THEN REDUCED BY NADPH
LOSES THE P AND GAINS A H+ TO
BECOME G3P
STARTED WITH 6 3-PG’s  6 G3P’s
5 GO ON TO REGENERATE … 1 GOES
ON TO BECOME PART OF GLUCOSE
 C-FIXATION

RUBSICO

REGENERATION

REDUCTION
 REGENE RATI ON OF R uBP
G3P THEN GETS A P FROM ATP
TO PRODUCE RuBP WHICH
REACTIVATES THE CALVIN CYCLE
SIMILAR IDEA TO THE KREB’s
CYCLE AND REGENERATING
OXALOACETATE
 C-FIXATION

RUBSICO

REGENERATION

REDUCTION
 FATE OF G3P
MADE INTO GLUCOSE BY A
SERIES OF ENZYMES
GLUCOSE CAN THEN BE
CONVERTED TO:
CELLULOSE (CELL WALLS)
STARCH (STORAGE)
USED IN CELL RESPIRATION
NOT ALL PLANTS DO THE CALVIN CYCLE
THE SAME WAY  RUBISCO ISN’T AS
EFFECTIVE AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES…
LEAVES BUILT TO REDUCE H20 LOSS
SEVERAL TYPES OF PLANTS DO C4
Photosynthesis
C4 PLANTS USE A DIFFERENT ENZYME
(PEP CARBOXYLASE) TO FIX C02 TO A
MOLECULE CALLED PEP  RESULTS IN
OXALOACETATE (4C)
ORGANIC ACIDS ARE THEN MOVED INTO
THE C3 PATHWAY
IN PLANTS WHERE H20 LOSS IS A
SERIOUS PROBLEM (DESERT PLANTS)
CAM PHOTOSYNTHESIS OCCURS
LEAVES OPEN AT NIGHT AND STORE
C02, DO C-FIXATION AND THEN STORE
THE C4 PRODUCTS TO BE USED
DURING THE DAY IN THE CALVIN
CYCLE (C3)
THE END