Photosynthesis

• Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.
• Chloroplast (which contains chlorophyll) is the actual site of photosynthesis. This can only be found in autotrophic eukaryotes
• Plants need sunlight, water, and Carbon Dioxide
• Parts of the leaves:

  Mesophyll - helps with absorbing the sunlight

  Epidermis -protects the leaves

  Vascular Bundles - transports manufactured food and water

  Stomata - site of gas exchange
• Light-dependent reactions occur at thylakoid membranes within the chloroplasts. It uses light energy from the sun to convert ADP into ATP and NADP+ into NADPH.
• The Calvin cycle occurs in the stroma of the chloroplasts. It converts CO2 into glucose using the ATP and NADPH produced during the Light Dependent Reactions.
• ATP stands for Adenosine Triphosphate
• NADPH stands for Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Hydrogen
• Parts of a Chloroplast:

  Inner membrane - controls the exchange of materials

  Outer membrane - permeable to ions

  Thylakoid - absorbs the sunlight

  Granum - stack of thylakoids

  Stroma - where the Calvin Cycle occurs
• ATP - source of energy in all organisms