Photosynthesis

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 is transformed to energy stored in the form of
chemical bonds

(c) Euglena (d) Cyanobacteria

(b) Kelp
(a) Mosses, ferns, and
flowering plants
 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.
It also makes oxygen gas!!
Photosynthesis-starts to ecological food webs!
WHY ARE PLANTS GREEN?

It's not that easy bein' green

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that…

Kermit the Frog

Electromagnetic Spectrum and Visible Light
Gamma Infrared &
rays X-rays UV Microwaves Radio waves

Visible light

Wavelength (nm)
 WHY ARE PLANTS GREEN?
Different wavelengths of visible light are seen by
the human eye as different colors.

Gamma Micro- Radio

X-rays UV Infrared
rays waves waves

Visible light

Wavelength (nm)
The feathers of male cardinals
are loaded with carotenoid
pigments. These pigments
absorb some wavelengths of
light and reflect others.

Sunlight minus absorbed

wavelengths or colors
equals the apparent color
of an object.
Why are plants green?

Transmitted light
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 Reflected
energy and Light light

convert it to
chemical energy

Absorbed
light

Transmitted Chloroplast
light
Photo-synthesis means "putting together with light."

Plants use sunlight to turn water

and carbon dioxide into glucose.
Glucose is a kind of sugar.
Plants use glucose as food for
energy and as a building block
for growing.
Autotrophs make glucose and
heterotrophs are consumers of
it.
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Absorbing Light Energy to make chemical
energy: glucose!
– Pigments: Absorb different colors of white
light (ROY G BIV)
• Main pigment: Chlorophyll a
• Accessory pigments: Chlorophyll b and
Carotenoids
• These pigments absorb all wavelengths (light) BUT
not green!
 Chloroplasts: Sites of Photosynthesis
• Photosynthesis
– Occurs in chloroplasts, organelles in certain
plants
– All green plant parts have chloroplasts and carry
out photosynthesis
• The leaves have the most chloroplasts
• The green color comes from chlorophyll in the
chloroplasts
• The pigments absorb light energy
 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
MESOPHYLL CELL
LEAF CROSS SECTION
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

Figure 7.7
Chlorophyll a & b
•Chl a has a methyl
group

•Chl b has a carbonyl

group

Porphyrin ring
delocalized e-

Phytol tail
Different pigments absorb light differently
 Loss of energy due to heat
Excitation of chlorophyll causes the photons of light to be
in a chloroplast less energetic.
Less energy translates into
longer wavelength.
e Excited
2 state Energy = (Planck’s constant) x
(velocity of light)/(wavelength of
Heat
light)
Transition toward the red end of
Light the visible spectrum.
Light
(fluorescence)
Photon

Ground
state
Chlorophyll
molecule

(a) Absorption of a photon

(b) fluorescence of isolated chlorophyll in solution

 Fall Colors

• During the fall, the green chlorophyll

pigments are greatly reduced revealing
the other pigments.

• Carotenoids are pigments that are either

red or yellow.
Chlorophyll: A Light Absorbing Pigment
The Solar Panel Chemical!
Photosynthesis

Glucose provides the energy and

carbon needed to make other
plant materials like wax and
proteins.
 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 Light
Chloroplast
energy to chemical
energy NADP
– Produce ATP & NADPH 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
Oxygen and Sugar!
• In plants and simple animals, waste products are
removed by diffusion. Plants, for example, excrete
O2, a product of photosynthesis.
 EQUATION FOR
PHOTOSYNTHESIS

WATER OXYGEN
6CO2 + 6H2O + ENERGY C6H12O6 + 6O2
CARBON GLUCOSE
DIOXIDE
 Redox Reaction

• The transfer of one or more electrons from one

reactant to another.

• Two types:
1. Oxidation
2. Reduction
 Oxidation Reaction
• The loss of electrons from a substance.
• Or the gain of oxygen.

Oxidation

6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2

glucose
 Reduction Reaction
• The gain of electrons to a substance.
• Or the loss of oxygen.

Reduction

6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2

glucose
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• 2 Phases
– Light-dependent reaction
– Light-independent reaction

• Light-dependent: converts light energy

into chemical energy; produces ATP and
NADPH molecules to be used to fuel light-
independent reaction

• Light-independent: uses ATP produced to

make simple sugars/ glucose
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Light-dependent reaction (LIGHT
Reaction)
– Requires light
– Occurs in chloroplast (in thylakoids)
– Chlorophyll (thylakoid) traps energy from
light
– Light excites electron (e-)
• Kicks e- out of chlorophyll to an electron transport
chain
• Electron transport chain: series of proteins in
thylakoid membrane
– Bucket brigade
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Light-dependent reaction (LIGHT
Reaction)
– Energy lost along electron transport chain
– Lost energy used to recharge ATP from ADP

– NADPH produced from e- transport chain

• Stores energy until transfer to stroma
• Plays important role in light-independent reaction

– Total byproducts: ATP, NADP, O2

 1. Light Reaction (Electron Flow)

• During the light reaction, there are two possible

routes for electron flow.

A. Cyclic Electron Flow

B. Noncyclic Electron Flow
• Two types of
photosystems
cooperate in
the light
reactions ATP
mill

Water-splitting NADPH-producing
photosystem photosystem
 A. Cyclic Electron Flow

• Occurs in the thylakoid membrane.

• Uses Photosystem I only
• P700 reaction center- chlorophyll a
• Uses Electron Transport Chain (ETC)
• Generates ATP only

ADP + P ATP
 A. Cyclic Electron Flow

Primary e-
SUN Electron
Acceptor

e- e- ATP
produced
Photons by ETC
e-
P700
Accessory
Pigments
Photosystem I
 B. Noncyclic Electron Flow
• Occurs in the thylakoid membrane

• Uses PS II and PS I

• P680 rxn center (PSII) - chlorophyll a

• P700 rxn center (PS I) - chlorophyll a

• Uses Electron Transport Chain (ETC)

• Generates O2, ATP and NADPH

 B. Noncyclic Electron Flow
Primary
Electron 2e-
Acceptor
Enzyme
Primary Reaction
2e-
Electron
Acceptor
2e-
ETC

SUN 2e-
2e- NADPH
P700
Photon ATP
P680 Photon
H2O Photosystem I

1/2O2 + 2H+ Photosystem II

 B. Noncyclic Electron Flow
• ADP + P  ATP
(Reduced)

• NADP+ + H  NADPH
(Reduced)

• Oxygen comes from the splitting of H2O,

not CO2
H 2O  1/2 O2 + 2H+
(Oxidized)
Noncyclic Photophosphorylation
• Photosystem II regains electrons by splitting
water, leaving O2 gas as a by-product
Primary
electron acceptor

Primary
electron acceptor

Photons

Energy for
synthesis of

PHOTOSYSTEM I

PHOTOSYSTEM II by chemiosmosis
Plants produce O2 gas by splitting H2O
• The O2 liberated by photosynthesis is made
from the oxygen in water (H+ and e-)
How the Light Reactions Generate ATP and NADPH
Primary NADP
electron
acceptor
Energy
Primary to make 3
electron
acceptor 2

Light

Light

Primary
electron
acceptor

Reaction-
1 center NADPH-producing
chlorophyll photosystem

Water-splitting
photosystem
2 H + 1/2
 Chemiosmosis
• Powers ATP synthesis.

• Located in the thylakoid membranes.

• Uses ETC and ATP synthase (enzyme) to make

ATP.

• Photophosphorylation: addition of phosphate to

ADP to make ATP.
 Chemiosmosis
SUN
H+ H+ (Proton Pumping)

Thylakoid E
PS II T PS I
C

high H+
H+ H+
concentration
H+ H+ H+ H+

Thylakoid
H+ ATP Synthase Space

ADP + P low H+
ATP
H+ concentration
 Chemiosmosis powers ATP
synthesis in the light reactions
• The electron transport chains are arranged
with the photosystems in the thylakoid
membranes and pump H+ through that
membrane
– The flow of H+ back through the membrane is
harnessed by ATP synthase to make ATP
– In the stroma, the H+ ions combine with NADP+
to form NADPH
 • The production of ATP by chemiosmosis in
photosynthesis

Thylakoid
compartment
(high H+) Light Light

Thylakoid
membrane

Antenna
molecules

Stroma ELECTRON TRANSPORT

(low H+) CHAIN

PHOTOSYSTEM II PHOTOSYSTEM I ATP SYNTHASE

 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Light-independent reaction (Dark
Reaction)
– Does not require light
– Calvin Cycle
• Occurs in stroma of chloroplast
• Requires CO2
• Uses ATP and NADPH as fuel to run
• Makes glucose sugar from CO2 and Hydrogen
 Calvin Cycle
• Carbon Fixation (light independent rxn).

• C3 plants (80% of plants on earth).

• Occurs in the stroma.

• Uses ATP and NADPH from light rxn.

• Uses CO2.

• To produce glucose: it takes 6 turns and

uses 18 ATP and 12 NADPH.
 Chloroplast

Stroma
Outer Membrane Thylakoid Granum
Inner Membrane
• A Photosynthesis Road Map

Chloroplast

Light
Stroma

Stack of NADP
thylakoids ADP
+P
Light Calvin
reactions cycle

Sugar used for

 Cellular respiration
 Cellulose
 Starch
 Other organic compounds
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• What affects photosynthesis?
– Light intensity: as light increases, rate of
photosynthesis increases
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• What affects photosynthesis?
– Carbon Dioxide: As CO2 increases, rate of
photosynthesis increases
 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
• What affects photosynthesis?
– Temperature:
• Temperature Low = Rate of photosynthesis low
• Temperature Increases = Rate of photosynthesis
increases
• If temperature too hot, rate drops
 Photorespiration
• Occurs on hot, dry, bright days.

• Stomates close.

• Fixation of O2 instead of CO2.

• Produces 2-C molecules instead of 3-C sugar

molecules.

• Produces no sugar molecules or no ATP.

 Photorespiration
• Because of photorespiration: Plants have
special adaptations to limit the effect of
photorespiration.

1. C4 plants
2. CAM plants
 C4 Plants
• Hot, moist environments.

• 15% of plants (grasses, corn, sugarcane).

• Divides photosynthesis spatially.

• Light rxn - mesophyll cells.

• Calvin cycle - bundle sheath cells.

 C4 Plants
Malate Malate
C-C-C-C C-C-C-C
Transported CO2
CO2 C3

Vascular
Tissue
glucose
C-C-C
PEP ATP
C-C-C
Pyruvic Acid

Mesophyll Cell Bundle Sheath Cell

 CAM Plants
• Hot, dry environments.

• 5% of plants (cactus and ice plants).

• Stomates closed during day.

• Stomates open during the night.

• Light rxn - occurs during the day.

• Calvin Cycle - occurs when CO2 is present.

 CAM Plants
Night (Stomates Open) Day (Stomates Closed)

Vacuole

C-C-C-C C-C-C-C C-C-C-C

CO2 Malate Malate
Malate

CO2
C3

C-C-C
ATP C-C-C glucose
PEP
Pyruvic acid
 Check it!
1. The process that uses the sun’s energy to
make simple sugars is _____________.

A. Cellular respiration
B. Glycolysis
C. Photosynthesis
D. Photolysis
 Check it!
2. The function accomplished by the light-
dependent reactions is ______________.

A. Energy storage
B. Sugar production
C. Carbon fixation
D. Conversion of sugar