PHOTOSYNTHESIS

AN OVERVIEW OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH AUTOTROPHIC
ORGANISMS USE LIGHT ENERGY TO MAKE SUGAR AND OXYGEN
GAS FROM CARBON DIOXIDE AND WATER

Carbon
dioxide

Water

Glucose
PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Oxygen
gas

WHY IS PHOTOSYNTHESIS IMPORTANT?

MAKES ORGANIC MOLECULES
(GLUCOSE) OUT OF INORGANIC
MATERIALS (CARBON DIOXIDE
AND WATER).
IT BEGINS ALL FOOD
CHAINS/WEBS. THUS ALL LIFE
IS SUPPORTED BY THIS
PROCESS.

Photosynthesis-starts to ecological food webs!

PLANTS IN
ACTION
Check it!
What is the
process
that uses
the suns
energy to
make
simple
sugars?

LEAF STRUCTURE
MOST PHOTOSYNTHESIS OCCURS IN THE
PALISADE LAYER.
GAS EXCHANGE OF CO2 AND O2 OCCURS
AT OPENINGS CALLED STOMATA
SURROUNDED BY GUARD CELLS ON THE
LOWER LEAF SURFACE.
Palisade

Spongy

PLANT CELLS

PLANTS

AUTOTROPHS PRODUCE THEIR OWN FOOD (GLUCOSE)

PROCESS CALLED PHOTOSYNTHESIS
MAINLY OCCURS IN THE LEAVES:
A. STOMA - PORES
B. MESOPHYLL CELLS

Mesophyll
Cell

Chloroplast
Stoma
8

STOMATA (STOMA)

PORES IN A PLANTS CUTICLE THROUGH WHICH

WATER VAPOR AND GASES (CO2 & O2) ARE
EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE PLANT AND THE
ATMOSPHERE.

Oxygen
(O2)
Stoma

Carbon Dioxide
(CO2)

Guard Cell

Guard Cell

Found on the underside of leaves

CHLOROPLAST
STRUCTURE
INNER
MEMBRANE
CALLED THE
THYLAKOID
MEMBRANE.

THICKENED
REGIONS
CALLED
THYLAKOIDS. A
STACK OF
THYLAKOIDS IS
CALLED A
GRANUM.

AN OVERVIEW OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
THE LIGHT
Light
REACTIONS
CONVERT SOLAR
ENERGY TO
CHEMICAL
ENERGY
The
Calvin cycle makes
PRODUCE ATP &
sugar
from carbon
NADPH
dioxide
ATP generated by the light
reactions provides the energy
for sugar synthesis
The NADPH produced by the
light reactions provides the
electrons for the reduction of
carbon dioxide to glucose

Chloroplast
NADP
ADP
+P
Light
reactions

Calvin
cycle

LIGHT REACTIONS
LIGHT-DEPENDENT REACTIONS
OCCUR ON THE THYLAKOID
MEMBRANES.
LIGHT AND WATER ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS
PROCESS.
ENERGY STORAGE MOLECULES ARE FORMED. (ATP
AND NADPH)
OXYGEN GAS IS MADE AS A WASTE PRODUCT.

STEPS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

LIGHT HITS REACTION CENTERS OF CHLOROPHYLL,

FOUND IN CHLOROPLASTS

Chlorophyll vibrates and causes water

to break apart.
Oxygen is released into air
Hydrogen remains in chloroplast
attached to NADPH
THE LIGHT REACTION

DARK REACTIONS
DARK REACTIONS (LIGHTINDEPENDENT) OCCUR IN THE
STROMA.
CARBON DIOXIDE IS FIXED INTO THE SUGAR
GLUCOSE.
ATP AND NADPH MOLECULES CREATED DURING THE
LIGHT REACTIONS POWER THE PRODUCTION OF THIS
GLUCOSE.