PHOTOSYNTHESIS BASICS

• photoautotroph- is an organism capable of undertaking photosynthesis
• photosynthesis- is the process of capturing light energy to power the production of glucose and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water
• mesophyll cell- is a plant cell type

  found in leaves that contain large

  amounts of chloroplasts.
• chloroplast- is a membrane-bound

  organelle only found in plant and

  photoautotroph cells that is the

  site of photosynthesis.
• chlorophyll- a chemical found in

  the thylakoids of chloroplasts. It

  is responsible for absorbing light

  energy in photosynthesis
• stoma (pl. stomata)- a small

  pore on the leaf’s surface that

  opens and closes to regulate gas

  exchange.
• xylem- is a vascular tissue in plants

  responsible for transporting water

  and minerals from the roots to

  the leave.
• light-dependent stage- the first

  stage of photosynthesis, where

  light energy splits water molecules

  into oxygen and hydrogen inside

  the thylakoid membranes. Also

  known as the light-dependent

  reactions
• thylakoid- a flattened sac-like

  structure housed inside the

  chloroplast. Each thylakoid is made

  up of a chlorophyll-containing

  membrane enclosing a lumen.

  Thylakoids are the location of

  the light-dependent stage of

  photosynthesis
• granum- (pl. grana) a stack of

  thylakoids
• NADPH- a coenzyme that is a

  proton (H+) and electron carrier in

  photosynthesis
• ATP - adenosine triphosphate, a

  high energy molecule that, when

  broken down, provides energy for

  cellular processes
• light-independent stage -

  the second stage of photosynthesis

  where carbon dioxide is used to

  form glucose in the stroma of a

  chloroplast. Also known as the

  Calvin cycle, the dark stage, or

  the light-independent reactions

  stroma the fluid substance

  that makes up the interior of

  chloroplasts. It is the site of

  the light-independent stage of

  photosynthesis