LECTURE ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lecture you will be able to:
1. Understand that ENERGY can be transformed from one form to another. 2. Know that energy exist in two forms; free energy - available for doing work or as heat - a form unavailable for doing work. 3. Appreciate that the Sun provides most of the energy needed for life on Earth. 4. Explain why photosynthesis is so important to energy and material flow for life on earth. 5. Know why plants tend to be green in appearance. 6. Equate the organelle of photosynthesis in eukaryotes with the chloroplast. 7. Describe the organization of the chloroplast. 8. Understand that photosynthesis is a two fold process composed of the light-dependent reactions (i.e., light reactions) and the light independent reactions (i.e. Calvin Cycle or Dark Reactions). 9. Tell where the light reactions and the CO2 fixation reactions occur in the chloroplast. 10. Define chlorophylls giving their basic composition and structure. 11. Draw the absorption spectrum of chlorophyll and compare it to the action spectrum of photosynthesis. 12. Define the Reaction Centers and Antennae and describe how it operates. 13. Describe cyclic photophosphorylation of photosynthesis. 14. Describe noncyclic photophosphorylation of photosynthesis.
Energy can be transformed from one form to another
FREE ENERGY
(available for work)
vs. HEAT
(not available for work)
THE SUN: MAIN SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR LIFE ON EARTH
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 (b) Kelp (a) Mosses, ferns, and flowering plants
(d) Cyanobacteria
Light Energy Harvested by Plants & Other Photosynthetic Autotrophs
6 CO2 + 6 H2O + light energy C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Food Chain
THE FOOD WEB
WH WHY Y ARE ARE P PLAN LANTS TS GRE GREEN? EN?
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 rays X-rays UV Infrared & Microwaves Radio waves
Visible light
Wavelength (nm)
WHY ARE PLA PLANTS NTS GRE GREEN? EN?
Different wavelengths of visible light are seen by the human eye as different colors.
Gamma rays
X-rays
UV
Infrared
Microwaves
Radio 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 PLA PLANTS NTS GRE GREEN? EN?
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
Light
Reflected light
Absorbed light Transmitted light
Chloroplast
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 PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Glucose
Oxygen gas
AN OVERVIEW OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
The light reactions convert solar energy to chemical energy
Produce ATP & NADPH
Light Chloroplast NADP+ ADP +P Light reactions Calvin cycle
The Calvin cycle makes 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
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 LEAF CROSS SECTION LEAF
Mesophyll
MESOPHYLL CELL
CHLOROPLAST
Intermembrane space Outer membrane
Granum Grana Stroma
Inner membrane Stroma Thylakoid 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
Excitation of chlorophyll in a chloroplast
e
2 Excited state
Loss of energy due to heat causes the photons of light to be less energetic. Less energy translates into longer wavelength. Energy = (Plancks constant) x (velocity of light)/(wavelength of light) Transition toward the red end of the visible spectrum.
Heat
Light Light (fluorescence) Photon Ground state Chlorophyll molecule
(a) Absorption of a photon
(b) fluorescence of isolated chlorophyll in solution
Molecular Game of Hot Potato
Primary electron acceptor
Photon PHOTOSYSTEM Reaction center
Pigment molecules of antenna
Cyclic Photophosphorylation
Process for ATP generation associated with some Photosynthetic Bacteria Reaction Center => 700 nm
Two types of photosystems cooperate in the light reactions
ATP mill
Water-splitting photosystem
NADPH-producing photosystem
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 electron acceptor Primary electron acceptor Energy to make NADP+
2
Light
Light Primary electron acceptor Reactioncenter chlorophyll
NADPH-producing photosystem
Water-splitting photosystem 2 H+ + 1/2
In the light reactions, electron transport chains generate ATP, NADPH, & O2
Two connected photosystems collect photons of light and transfer the energy to chlorophyll electrons The excited electrons are passed from the primary electron acceptor to electron transport chains
Their energy ends up in ATP and NADPH
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 (low H+)
ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN
PHOTOSYSTEM II
PHOTOSYSTEM I
ATP SYNTHASE
A Photosynthesis Road Map
Chloroplast Light Stroma Stack of thylakoids Light reactions NADP+ ADP +P Calvin cycle
Sugar used for Cellular respiration Cellulose Starch Other organic compounds
Review: Photosynthesis uses light energy to make food molecules
A summary of the chemical processes of photosynthesis
Chloroplast
Light
Photosystem II Electron transport chains Photosystem I
CALVIN CYCLE
Stroma
Cellular respiration Cellulose Starch LIGHT REACTIONS CALVIN CYCLE Other organic compounds
It's not that easy bein' green but it is essential for life on earth!
