Chapter 06

Lecture Outline
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6.1 An Overview of Photosynthesis-1

All of the energy used by almost all living

cells ultimately comes from the sun.
Plants, algae, and some bacteria capture the
sunlight energy by a process called
photosynthesis.
Only about 1% of the available energy in
sunlight is captured.

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6.1 An Overview of Photosynthesis-2

The leaf cells of plants contain

chloroplasts.
The chloroplast contains internal membranes
called thylakoids.
The thylakoids are stacked together in
columns called grana.

The stroma is a semi-liquid substance that

surrounds the thylakoids.

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6.1 An Overview of Photosynthesis-3

Embedded in the thylakoid membrane are

photosystems that contain pigments.
The primary pigment molecule in most
photosystems is chlorophyll.
The pigments act as an antenna to capture
energy from sunlight.
Individual chlorophyll pigments pass the
captured energy between them.

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6.1 An Overview of Photosynthesis-4
Photosynthesis takes places in three
stages.
1. Capturing energy from sunlight

2. Using the captured energy to produce ATP and

NADPH

3. Using the ATP and NADPH to make

carbohydrates from CO2 in the atmosphere

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6.1 An Overview of Photosynthesis-5

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Overview of Photosynthesis, part 1

Roger Brooks/Beateworks/Corbis RF
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Overview of Photosynthesis, part 2

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 6.2 How Plants Capture Energy from
Sunlight-1
Light is comprised of packets of energy
called photons.
Sunlight has photons of varying energy levels.
The possible range of energy levels is represented
by the electromagnetic spectrum.

Pigments are molecules that absorb light

energy.
The pigment in human eyes only absorbs
photons of intermediate energy levels.

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Figure 6.1 Photons of different energy: the
electromagnetic spectrum

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 6.2 How Plants Capture Energy from
Sunlight-2
The main pigment in plants is chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll absorbs light at the end of the visible
spectrum, mainly blue and red light.

Two versions of chlorophyll are present in

plants.
Chlorophyll a
Chlorophyll b

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 6.2 How Plants Capture Energy from
Sunlight-3
In plants, the light-dependent reactions occur on
the thylakoid membranes within chloroplasts.
Pigments and protein molecules occur as complexes
called photosystems.
Light energy is first captured by any one of the
chlorophyll pigments in a photosystem.
The energy is passed along to other pigments until it
reaches the reaction center chlorophyll molecule.
The reaction center then releases an excited electron,
which is then transferred to an electron acceptor.
The excited electron that is lost is then replaced by an
electron donor.

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Figure 6.2 How a photosystem works

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 6.2 How Plants Capture Energy from
Sunlight-4

The light-dependent reactions in plants and algae

use two photosystems.
Photosystem II
Captures a photon of light and releases an excited
electron to the electron transport system (ETS)
The ETS then produces ATP.
Photosystem I
Absorbs another photon of light and releases an
excited electron to another ETS
This ETS produces NADPH.

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Figure 6.3 Plants use two photosystems
in the light-dependent reactions

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 6.3 How Photosystems Convert Light
to Chemical Energy-1
Photosystem II
Its reaction center consists of more than ten
transmembrane proteins.
This is surrounded by an antenna complex of
pigments that funnel captured photons to the reaction
center.
The reaction center yields an excited electron to the
primary electron acceptor.
Water is split to provide replacement electrons to the
reaction center, resulting in the production of O2.

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 6.3 How Photosystems Convert Light
to Chemical Energy-2
The electron transport system (ETS)
receives the excited electron from the
electron acceptor.
The ETS is comprised of proteins that are
embedded in the thylakoid membrane.
One of these proteins acts as a proton pump
to move a proton from the stroma into the
thylakoid space.
At the end of the ETS, the electron is passed
to the reaction center of photosystem I.

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 6.3 How Photosystems Convert Light
to Chemical Energy-3
As a result of the proton pump of the ETS, a
large concentration of protons builds up in the
thylakoid space.
The thylakoid membrane is impermeable to protons.
Protons can only re-enter the stroma by traveling
through a protein channel called ATP synthase.
As protons diffuse back down their concentration
gradient and pass through ATP synthase, ADP is
phosphorylated into ATP in a process called
chemiosmosis.

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Figure 6.5 The photosynthetic electrons
are used to produce ATP and NADPH

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 6.3 How Photosystems Convert Light
to Chemical Energy-4

Photosystem I
Receives the electron from the first ETS and
absorbs another photon of light
The reaction center yields an excited electron
to another ETS, that uses the electrons (and
hydrogen ions) to form NADPH.
Because this removes a proton from the stroma,
the production of NADPH also aids in establishing
the proton gradient for chemiosmosis to occur.

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 6.4 Building New Molecules
The synthesis of organic molecules from
CO2 employs the Calvin cycle.
These reactions are also known as C3
photosynthesis.
The Calvin cycle must turn 6 times in order to
form a new glucose molecule
The products of the light-dependent reactions
are used
ATP energy drives the cycle
NADPH provides hydrogen atoms

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Essential Biological Process 6A:
The Calvin Cycle

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 6.5 Photorespiration: Putting the
Brakes on Photosynthesis-1
Many plants have trouble carrying out C3
photosynthesis when it is hot.
Plants close openings in their leaves, called stomata
(singular, stoma), in order to prevent water loss.
The closed stoma also prevents gas exchange.
O2 levels build up inside the leaves while the
concentrations of CO2 fall.
The enzyme rubisco, which carries out the first step
in the Calvin cycle, binds O2 instead of CO2.
This process is called photorespiration and short-
circuits photosynthesis.
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Figure 6.7 Plant response in hot
weather

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 6.5 Photorespiration: Putting the
Brakes on Photosynthesis-2
Some plants have adapted to hot climates by
performing C4 photosynthesis.
These C4 plants include sugarcane, corn, and
many grasses.
They fix carbon first in the mesophyll cells and
then regenerate CO2 in bundle-sheath cells.
CO2 then enters the Calvin cycle in bundle-sheath
cells.

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Figure 6.8
Carbon
fixation in
C4 plants

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 6.5 Photorespiration: Putting the
Brakes on Photosynthesis-3

Another strategy to avoid a reduction in

photosynthesis in hot weather occurs in
many succulent (water-storing) plants,
such as cacti and pineapples.
These plants undergo crassulacean acid
metabolism (CAM).
Photosynthesis occurs via the C4 pathway at night
and the C3 pathway during the day.

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 Inquiry & Analysis
What does the increase Does Iron Limit the Growth
in chlorophyll a levels of Oceanic Phytoplankton?
say about numbers of
phytoplankton?

What general statement

can be made regarding
the effect of iron
seeding on
phytoplankton levels?

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