THE BASICS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

• Almost all plants are photosynthetic autotrophs, as

are some bacteria and protists
– Autotrophs generate their own organic matter through
photosynthesis
– Sunlight energy is transformed to energy stored in the
form of chemical bonds

(c) Euglena (d) Cyanobacteria

(b) Kelp
(a) Mosses, ferns, and
flowering plants
LIGHT ENERGY HARVESTED BY PLANTS &
OTHER PHOTOSYNTHETIC AUTOTROPHS

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

WHY ARE PLANTS GREEN?
Plant Cells
have Green
Chloroplasts

The thylakoid
membrane of the
chloroplast is
impregnated with
photosynthetic
pigments (i.e.,
chlorophylls,
carotenoids).
 THE COLOR OF LIGHT SEEN IS THE
COLOR NOT ABSORBED

Chloroplasts absorb light energy

and convert it to chemical
energy
Reflected
Light light

Absorbed
light

Transmitted Chloroplast
light
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 Water Glucose Oxygen

dioxide gas
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 AN OVERVIEW OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
The light reactions
convert solar energy to Light
Chloroplast
chemical energy
 Produce ATP & NADPH NADP
ADP
+P
Calvin
• The Calvin cycle makes Light
reactions
cycle

sugar from carbon

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
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Sunlight provides
ENERGY

CO2 + H2O produces

Glucose + Oxygen

6CO2 + 6H2O
C6H12O6 + 6O2
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”
STEPS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
The DARK Reactions= Calvin Cycle

• CO2 from atmosphere is joined to H

from water molecules (NADPH) to form
glucose
• Glucose can be converted into other
molecules with yummy flavors!
PHOTOSYNTHESIS OCCURS IN CHLOROPLASTS
In most plants, photosynthesis occurs primarily in the leaves, in the chloroplasts
A chloroplast contains:
 stroma, a fluid
 grana, stacks of thylakoids

The thylakoids contain chlorophyll

 Chlorophyll is the green pigment that captures light for photosynthesis
The location and structure of chloroplasts

Chloroplast
LEAF CROSS SECTION MESOPHYLL CELL
LEAF

Mesophyll

CHLOROPLAST Intermembrane space

Outer
membrane

Granum Inner
membrane
Grana Stroma Thylakoid
Stroma Thylakoid compartment
CHLOROPLAST PIGMENTS
Chloroplasts contain several pigments

– Chlorophyll a
– Chlorophyll b
– Carotenoids
– Xanthophyll

Figure 7.7
SUMMARY—LIGHT DEPENDENT
REACTIONS

a. Overall input
light energy, H2O.
b. Overall output
ATP, NADPH, O2.
SUMMARY—LIGHT INDEPENDENT
REACTIONS

a. Overall input
CO2, ATP, NADPH.
b. Overall output
glucose.
 REVIEW: PHOTOSYNTHESIS USES LIGHT ENERGY TO
MAKE FOOD MOLECULES

A summary of the chemical

processes of photosynthesis
Chloroplast

Light

Photosystem II
Electron
transport CALVIN
chains CYCLE Stroma
Photosystem I

Cellular
respiration
Cellulose
Starch
Other
LIGHT REACTIONS CALVIN CYCLE organic
compounds
Photosynthesis allows the
sun’s energy to flow
through plants, and then
to most organisms on
earth. Without
photosynthesis, energy
would not be available
for plant consumers.
PHOTOSYNTHETIC ORGANISMS
Not all organisms can make their
own food. Only autotrophs can. And
even then, not all autotrophs make
their own food through
photosynthesis. The food that is
produced through photosynthesis is
the one that stores energy, which can
be passed on to an organism that
consumes it.
EXAMPLE OF
PHOTOSYNTHETIC
ORGANISM
Algae

photosynthetic protist

plants
 The product of photosynthesis are
vital to Earth. The oxygen released as
a by-product during photosynthesis
has significantly contributed to the
evolution of Earth’s atmosphere and
biosphere.
 It is believed that primitive Earth
did not have enough oxygen in its
atmosphere, but because of the
appearance of photosynthetic
organisms, the oxygen in the
atmosphere increased to 20 % as if
today.
THE LOCATION OF
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 In most plants, photosynthesis occurs
in the green areas of the plant. The
internal structure of the leaves
includes the mesophyll tissues, which
contain cells that are specialized for
photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide and
water are materials necessary for
photosynthesis to occur.
 First, water is absorbed by
plant’s roots. This is distributed to the
other parts of the plant through
vascular tissue called the Xylem.
Finally, it makes its way to the leaves
through leaf veins. Carbon dioxide,
on the other hand, enters the leaves
through small openings called the
stomata (SINGULAR: Stoma)
 At the end of this period, he
discovered that the tree has
increased in mass by 74 kg
without any significant
difference in the mass of soil.
He concluded that water was
the source of extra mass and
the plant’s source of life
 When Carbon Dioxide makes
its way through this opening, it
goes through the mesophyll
tissues where, along with
water, it diffuses into cells’
chloroplasts.
PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
••••Jan Baptista van Helmont
(1580-1644) a Flemish Physician,
chemist and physicist, discovered
that water significantly contributed
to the grow of plants. In the 1600s.
He carried out an experiment that
allowed a willow tree to grow in pot
for five years••••
In separate experiments
•••Jan Ingenhousz (1730-1799)
and Joseph Priestly (1733-1804)
demonstrated that light was essential
for plants to make oxygen.
•••Oxygen was first discovered in
1772 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele
(1742-1786)
In priestly’s experiment, a mouse left
alone in a sealed jar died, whereas the
other mouse stayed alive in a sealed jar
with a mint plant.

Initial thought of Priestly

The Process is plants “purifies” the air for
the animals and that plants exposed to
sunlight create better composition of air.