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7 Photosynthesis

The document provides an overview of photosynthesis, detailing its definition, the role of chloroplasts, and the types of organisms involved. It explains the light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle, highlighting the processes of carbon fixation and the production of glucose. Key components such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, and the overall chemical equation for photosynthesis are also discussed.

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8 views33 pages

7 Photosynthesis

The document provides an overview of photosynthesis, detailing its definition, the role of chloroplasts, and the types of organisms involved. It explains the light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle, highlighting the processes of carbon fixation and the production of glucose. Key components such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, and the overall chemical equation for photosynthesis are also discussed.

Uploaded by

atheer6633.77
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Ministry of Higher Education


Taibah University
Faculty of Science
Yanbu Branch
Department of Biology

Plant
Physiology
BIOB 332
LECTURE (7)
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis: Terminology
 Photosynthesis means how a Plant employ Light Energy to Make
Chemical Energy
 Autotrophs: self feeders, organisms capable of making their own
food
 Photoautotrophs: use sun energy e.g. plants -makes organic
compounds (glucose) from light “photosynthesis”
 Chemoautotrophs: use chemical energy e.g. bacteria that use sulfide
or methane chemosynthesis -makes organic compounds from
chemical energy contained in sulfide or methane
 Photosynthesis takes place in specialized structures inside plant
cells called chloroplasts
 Photosynthetic pigments: light absorbing pigment molecules
e.g. Chlorophyll
 The color of the pigment comes from the wavelengths of light
reflected
 Chlorophyll, the green pigment common to all photosynthetic
cells, absorbs all wavelengths of visible light except green, which
it reflects to be detected by our eyes
 Chlorophylls are water insoluble but soluble in fats and organic
solvents
Carotenoids are of two types: carotenes and xanthophylls.
Carotenoids are or shield pigments. Chlorophyll absorbs most
strongly in the blue and red region of the visible spectrum and least
strongly in the green. Carotenoids absorb most strongly in the blue
and green region and least strongly in the red and orange. The
absorption of blue light excites the chlorophyll to a higher energy
state than absorption of red light, because the energy of photons is
higher when their wavelength is shorter. In the higher excited state,
chlorophyll is extremely unstable.

• Carotenoids protect chlorophyll from photo oxidation


(or photobleaching or by light of high intensity) and
are soluble in fats or organic solvents.
• Carotenoids absorb light energy and transfer it to
chlorophyll molecules.
• Carotenoids serve as both accessory pigments and
photoprotective agents.
• Carotenoides are of red, orange and yellow colours.
Along with chlorophyll they are also embedded in the
thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts. They also act as
 Chlorophyll Is a Complex
Molecule
 Several Modifications of
Chlorophyll Occur among
Plants and other
Photosynthetic Organisms
 All Photosynthetic
Organisms Have
Chlorophyll a
 Accessory Pigments Absorb
Energy that Chlorophyll a
Does not Absorb
 Chlorophyll b
 Xanthophylls
 Carotenoids
Chloroplasts
 Photosynthesis takes place in
specialized structures inside plant cells
called chloroplasts
 Inside the chloroplast there is Intertwined
(‫ )متشابكه‬and stacked network of more
membranes
 Thylakoids: a wafer-like structures

 Grana: stack of thylakoids

 Stroma: areas between grana

 Photosynthetic pigments are clustered


together to form photosystems (PS I and
PS II) that are embedded in the thylakoid
Arrangement of
photosystems I and II in
the thylakoid membrane
Overall Reaction

6CO2 + 12 H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 +


6H2O+6O2

 The carbohydrate made is glucose


 Water appears on both sides because 12
H2O molecules are required and 6 new H2O
molecules are made
 Water acts as a source of electrons from
hydrogen atoms releasing O2 as a byproduct
 Photosynthesis is a 2-Stage Process
A) Light Reactions or Photochemical reaction

 Require light to occur


 Involve the actual harnessing ‫ تسخير‬of light
energy
 Occur in\on the grana (stack of thylakoids)
 Produce ATP and NADPH
B) Calvin Cycle (light independent or “dark” reactions or
Fixation of CO2 )

• Does not need light to occur


• Involves the creation of the carbohydrates
• Occurs in the stroma
• Requires ATP and NADPH
• Products of the light reaction are used to
form C-C covalent bonds of carbohydrates
A) Light-dependent Reactions
 Photosystem: light capturing unit,
contains chlorophyll, the light capturing
pigment
 Electron transport system: sequence of
electron carrier molecules that shuttle
electrons, the released energy is used to
make ATP
 The excited electrons from chlorophyll is
replaced by splitting water molecules,
Oxygen is liberated from the light reactions
 Light reactions yield ATP and NADPH used
to fuel the reactions of the Calvin cycle
Steps of the Light-dependent
Reactions
1. When a photon of light strikes the reaction center of
photosystem II (PS II), it excites an electron. Two
water molecules binds to an enzyme at the reaction
center, this enzyme splits water and uses the
electrons from water to replace the lost electrons
from the reaction center and oxygen is liberated.
2. The primary electron acceptor for the light-
energized electron leaving PS II is plastoquinon
(PQ). The reduced PQ (PQH) passes the excited
electrons to a proton pump embedded in the
membrane called b6-f complex.
3. Arrival of the energetic electrons causes b6-f
complex to pump protons from the stroma into the
thylakoid space, thus generating a proton gradient
across the membrane.
4. Because the thylakoid membrane is
impermeable to protons, the protons in the
stroma must pass through the channels provided
by ATP synthase
5. As protons passes through ATP synthase, ADP is
phosphorylated to ATP and released into the
stroma. This process is called
photophosphorylation.
6. When PS I absorbs a photon of light it passes a
high energy electron to ferrodoxin. The enzyme
NADP reductase then transfers the electrons to
NADP to form NADPH.
7. The lost electron form PS I is replaced by the
excited electron from PS II. A small protein
carrier called plastocyanin (pC) carries the
electrons from b6-f complex to PS I.
Calvin Cycle (light
independent or “dark”
reactions)
 ATP and NADPH generated in light
reactions used to fuel the reactions which
take CO2 and break it apart, then
reassemble the carbons into glucose.
 Called carbon fixation: taking carbon
from an inorganic molecule (atmospheric
CO2) and making an organic molecule out
of it (glucose)
 Simplified version of how carbon and
energy enter the food chain
Calvin cycle is divided into THREE
phases :

Phase 1. Carbon fixation


 CO2 is added to a 5-carbon compound called ribulose biphosphate
“RuBP “ (in a reacion catalysed by RuBP Carboxylase “rubisco”).
 The produced 6-carbon molecule is unstable and quickly splits into
2 molecules of 3-carbon compound called 3-Phosphogylcerate

Phase 2. Reduction
 Using energy from ATP and reducing power from NADPH (which
are the products of the light reaction) 2 molecules of 3-
phosphoglycerate are converted into 2 molecules of
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate.
Phase 3. Regeneration of the CO2 acceptor
(RuBP)
When several molecules of glyceraldehyde-3-
phosphate are produced some of them combine
to make glucose while others are used to
regenerate RuBP
It is energy requiring phase of Calvin cycle.
Utilizes 3 ATP in order to regenerate CO2
acceptor (RuBP).
Note: To generate one molecule of
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate the calvin cycle has
to turn 3 times, because each turn the cycle add
only one carbon atom from each CO2 molecule
Photosynthesis

http://www.ualr.edu/~botany/photosynthesis.gif

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