Name______________

AP Biology – CH 8 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Key Concepts for Ch. 8

8.1 Photosynthesis converts light energy to chemical energy of food.

8.2 The light reactions convert solar energy to the chemical energy of ATP
and NADPH
8.3 The Calvin Cycle uses the chemical energy of ATP and NADPH to
reduce CO2 to sugar

1) Photosynthesis can be defined as the conversion of Solar

energy into
chemical energy which is stored in sugar .
2) Autotrophs - are organisms that can produce their own food (producers)
3) Heterotrophs - are organisms that must eat food (consumers)
Examples:

Structures of Photosynthesis

4) Leaves- are the major photosynthetic structures in plant.

Label the plant cross section below (Use page 587 in your text)
Label:

Importance in photosynthesis:
1) Stomata- openings on the lower epidermis for the exchange of
gasses. CO2 in, O2 out

2) Guard cells- cells that increase or decrease turgor pressure to

open and close the stomata.
 3) Palisade mesophyll- layer under the upper epidermis where
most of the photosynthesis occurs. ****

4) Spongy Mesophyll – layer that contains mesophyll cell and air

spaces that can store gasses.

5) Cuticle- layer on top of the upper epidermis that helps to

prevent water loss. (Made of cutin)

6) Vein – vascular system of plants (2 parts)

Xylem- carries water up from the roots
Phloem- carries sugars down from the leaves

5) Photosynthetic bacteria carry out the process by clustering specific enzymes together in
infolded membranes. These bacteria are believed to have become
chloroplasts in eukaryotic cells through endosymbiosis.
6) Chloroplast - is the organelle in which photosynthesis occurs.
Label the parts of the structure below.

Photosynthesis can be summarized by the reaction:

6 CO2 + 12 H2O + Light NRG C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O

7) C. B. van Niel hypothesized that the O2 released in

photosynthesis was derived from water and NOT the CO2.
What happens to all of the reactants (atoms) in photosynthesis???
Fill in the diagram below:

8) The Hydrogen from the water becomes part of the glucose and water final
products

9) The Oxygen from the water is given off as a waste product of the light
reactions.

10) The Carbon from the carbon dioxide becomes part of the glucose (G3P)
11) The Oxygen from carbon dioxide becomes part of the glucose and water final
products

Photosynthesis and Respiration as Redox Processes

Respiration (Review)
12) Glucose is oxidized as electrons are passed to

oxygen forming H2O. The electrons lose

potential energy releasing KE which is used to

produce ATP.

Photosynthesis (something kinda new)

13) H2O is split and electrons are transferred to CO2

(it is reduced) producing sugar. In this process the

potential energy of the electrons increases. This is an

endergonic process. The energy required for this

process is provided by the sun.

Photosynthesis: A Preview of the “TWO STAGES”

14) Light Reactions: conversion of solar energy to chemical energy.

o Water is split providing a source of _electrons and H+
+
o Electrons are accepted by NADP (NADPH) for later use
o ATP is produced by chemiosmosis; this process is known as
photophosphorylation.
o In this process no sugar is produced, but NADPH and ATP are produced
for later use in the Dark Reactions.

15) Calvin Cycle (discovered by Dr. Cycle) – Dark Reactions/Light independent

reactions
o The initial portion of this process is also known as Carbon Fixation.
o The Fixed CO2 is reduced by the electrons held in NADPH
o Energy from ATP produced in the light reactions is also used in this process of
carbohydrate production.
What Drives the process of photosynthesis?

The Nature of Sunlight:

16) Electromagnetic Energy (radiation) is light NRG that drives
photosynthesis, this is also known as the visible spectrum. The entire range of
radiation is known as the electromagnetic spectrum.

17) Photons are “packets” of NRG that carry of fixed amount of NRG that are inversely
related to their wavelength (color).
o The shorter the wavelength, the greater the energy (Gamma Rays).

o The longer the wavelength, the lesser the energy (Radio waves).

18) The visible spectrum is the visible light that can be detected by the human eye
and that drives photosynthesis (wave length range from 380 to 750)
( NRG ROYGBIV NRG)
Label:
Light Energy and Pigments - Campbell
19) When all of the wavelengths of the visible spectrum travel together the light appears
white
20) When light meets matter it can be
1) Absorbed
2) Transmitted
3) Reflected
Substances that absorb light are called a pigment.
21) If a substance looks green it absorbs all wavelengths except green, green is reflected
22) If a substance looks black it absorbs all visible wavelenths
23) If a substance looks white it reflects all visible wavelengths
24) A graph plotting a pigments light absorption is known as its absorption spectrum

Draw this for Chlorophyll a below:

Use the diagrams below as a guide to describe Theodor Engelmann’s Experiments:

 25)
25)
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25)
25)
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25)
25)
25)
25)
25)
25)
25)
25)
What did Engelmann do?

26) What did his experiment show?

Engelmann’s experiment Video of Engelmann’s experiment

The Photosynthetic Pigments: fill in the diagram below with the appropriate information.

Pigment Function Absorbance Color Color

(wavelength) absorbance transmitted/reflected

Chlorophyll Primary 425 Purple/ red Blue-green

a Pigment 680
Chlorophyll Energy 475 Blue/ Yellow-green
b capture 650 orange
Xanthrophil Pigment 450 Blue/ Yellow/
Carotene protection 490 Purple Orange

27) What is the basic chemical difference between

chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b?
Chlorophyll a has methyl group
while chlorophyll b has a carbonyl
group
 28) When a pigment absorbs NRG, an electron

is raised to an orbital of higher energy

where the level of potential NRG is increased.

This is said to be the excited State of the

molecule. When the electron drops down to

the ground state NRG is released in the

form of heat or light.
(yes there are a lot of blanks in this paragraph)

THE LIGHT REACTIONS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Harvesting Light
29) Photosystems are protein-pigment complexes that are located in the thylakoid
membrane.

30) Each Photosystem has a group of antenna (light harvesting complex)

pigments which gather light and stimulate a chlorophyll a molecule that passes electrons
to the reaction center. Here electrons are accepted by the primary electron
acceptor.
Label:

31) The thylakoid membrane are populated by two slightly different photosystems that absorb
slightly different wavelengths of light. These photosystems are called:

A) Photosystem I (P700)
B) Photosystem II (P680)
THE PROCESS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS A SERIES OF oxidation/reduction
REACTIONS (OIL RIG) Light Reactions – Campbell

32) Linear (Non-cyclic) electron flow - is the primary rout of electrons

through the photosystems and the electron transport chain (thylakoid membrane)

Label and briefly describe what it happening below:

33) The above process results in the production of

+
A) NADPH (catalyzed by the enzyme NADP reductase)

ATP (catalyzed by the enzyme ATP synthase)

B)
photophosphorylation is the production of ATP from ADP and a P1 using light
NRG in the above process.

C) Oxygen (O2) is a waste product (Photolysis). WASTE from water

COMPARISON OF CHEMIOSMOSIS IN CHLOROPLASTS AND

MITOCHONDRIA
34) An electron transport chain (ETC) us used to harness energy and pump H+
against its concentration gradient.

35) Chemiosmosis is the process by which a concentration gradient of protons (H+)

electrochemical gradient , which stores potential NRG (a proton motive
force), is utilized to make ATP.

36) When the H+ ions diffuse through ATP synthase, the phosphorylation of
ADP occurs, producing ATP.

37) In photosynthesis the electrons that drive chemiosmosis come from water, whereas in
respiration they come from organic molecules (glucose).

38) The ETC in the thylakoid membrane pump H+ from the stroma into the thylakoid space
and the ETC in the cristae pump H+ out of the matrix into the inner membrane space. **
 39) The proton gradient is maintained due to:

A) Splitting of Water (Photolysis)

B) Pumping of H+ along Electron Transport Chain
C) NADP+ picking up 2 H+ in the stroma

AN ALTERNATE METHOD OF PRODUCING ATP IN

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
40) Cyclic Electron flow is the alternate pathway of electron flow that passes through
photosystem I but not photosystem II.
41) As a result of cyclic electron flow:

A) ATP is produced
(through
chemiosmosis)

B) NADPH is not
produced

C) O2 is not release as a
waste product

Cyclic vs Non-cyclic Electron flow – McGraw-Hill

Photosynthesis, the Light Reactions, Part 1: the Big Picture-

Song

Virtual cell Light Reations

RichochetScience – Light Reactions
RichochetScience- Calvin Cycle

THE LIGHT INDEPENDENT (DARK) REACTIONS

42) Calvin Cycle - is the cycle by which CO2 is fixed and then the starting material is
regenerated after the cycle.

43) Carbon enters the cycle as CO2 and leaves as G3P. This is an anabolic process
where as the citric acid cycle (cellular respiration) is a catabolic process.

44) NADPH and ATP produced in the light reactions power the Calvin cycle.
 45) The Calvin cycle must fix 3 CO2 to produce one molecule of G3P, which is the end
product
(3 carbon sugar). Therefore, it takes 6 CO2 molecules to produce glucose (2 G3P molecules needed).

46) Rubisco - is the enzyme that initially fixes carbon into the Calvin cycle.

Calvin Cycle (Smith edu) Steps of Calvin Cycle Calvin Cycle - Campbell BioFlix -
Campbell
47) The production of G3P consumes 9ATP and 6 NADPH, which were produced in the
light reactions of photosynthesis.
Calvin Cycle (Smith edu)

EVOLUTION OF ALTERNATIVE MECHANISMS OF CARBON

FIXATION IN HOT, ARID CLIMATES

RicochetScience: Photosynthesis: Comparing C3, C4 and CAM

48) CO2 enters through the stomata through the process of diffusion

49) Oxygen (O2) leaves through the stomata through the process of diffusion, which is
dangerous for a plant because it can also lose H2O through a process called
transpiration.

50) In order to limit water loss a plant will close stomata which results in a build-up of
O2 from the light reactions of photosynthesis. This can be dangerous to a plant and is
called photorespiration.

51) When the levels of CO2 decrease and O2 increase Rubisco will accept O2 and sap the
plant of organic materials needed for photosynthesis. This process is known as
photorespiration.
52) Explain why we believe that the above process was not a problem initially (in
evolutionary times)?
There was a lower concentration of oxygen in the
atmosphere.
 53) C4Plants are plants that initially fix carbon in a four carbon compound in the
mesophyll cells to protect the bundle sheath cells from the affects of
photorespiration.

54) The enzyme PEP carboxylase replaces Rubisco (in C3 plants) as the initial
carbon-fixing enzyme and incorporates carbon into the molecule oxaloacetate. This
enzyme is able to do this due to its higher affinity for carbon dioxide.

Another Alternate Pathway:

55) CAM are plants that carry out carbon fixation and the Calvin cycle at different times.
Carbon fixation occurs at night, storing carbon as malate
(4-carbon molecule)
* Stomata open at night to reduce water loss during
transpiration.

56) Calvin cycle occurs during the day, using the carbon stored the
night before.
Alternate Pathways-Campbell

Label the diagram below