PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND CELLULAR RESPIRATION 5

• Plants are important for the following reasons:
• Photosynthesis


  Biological reaction where plants take in carbon dioxide and water, and use sunlight energy to produce glucose and oxygen
• Photosynthesis


  Carbon dioxide + Water + Sunlight -> Glucose + Oxygen
• Photosynthesis

  • Has two major steps:

  1. Light-dependent reactions (occur in thylakoids)

  2. Light-independent reactions/Calvin cycle (occur in stroma)
• Chloroplast


  • Organelle where photosynthesis takes place
  • Contains thylakoids, grana, lumen, stroma, inner and outer membranes
• Light-dependent reactions


  Oxidize water into oxygen, produce ATP and NADPH
• Light-independent reactions/Calvin cycle


  Use ATP and NADPH to convert carbon dioxide into glucose
• Light-dependent reactions require sunlight energy, while light-independent reactions can proceed without light
• Both photosynthesis stages require ATP
• Both photosynthesis stages utilize electron transport chain and ATP synthase