Chapter 10: Photosynthesis

Light energy capture Leaves & Pigments Photosystems System II System I The Z Scheme Calvin Cycle Carbon Fixation Regulation Energy Storage
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Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation characterized by its wavelength which is inversely proportional to its energy content

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Light energy, in the form of photons, can be absorbed by electrons, moving them to an excited state

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Energy from sunlight is absorbed by pigments in the thylakoid membranes inside chloroplasts
Leaf cross section

Mesophyll cell Chloroplast Granum

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Pigments are molecules that absorb only certain wavelengths of light, the wavelengths not absorbed are transmitted or reflected which we perceive as color

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Photosynthetic organisms often contain several pigments to increase their action spectrum

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Pigments have a long hydrophobic tail to anchor them in the membrane and a head to absorb light energy

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The pigments Chlorophylls a and b and Carotenoids are the main photosynthetic pigments in plants

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Energy in these excited electrons has 3 different potential fates

RESONANCE-ENERGY TRANSFER Higher Energy of electron Fluorescence Photon and/or Photon Heat REDOX

Reaction center

Lower Chlorophyll molecule

Chlorophyll and -Carotene molecules in antenna complex

Reaction center

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Overview of Photosynthesis
1. The light-dependent reaction (the photo stage)- in the thylakoid membranes

2. The light-independent reaction (Calvin cycle; the synthesis stage) - in the stroma of chloroplasts

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Energy reaches the reaction center of Photosystem II, chlorophyll is oxidized & a high-energy electron is donated to the electron acceptor pheophytin

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Pheophytin passes the high-energy electrons to an ETC containing plastoquinone and a cytochrome complex

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The ETC pumps H+ into the thylakoid lumen triggering chemiosmosis and ATP synthesis in the chloroplast

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Energy reaches the reaction center of Photosystem I, chlorophyll is oxidized & 2 high energy electrons are passed through a series of redox reactions to Ferredoxin

Anoxygenic Photosynthesis in Purple & Purple Sulfur bacteria

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Cyanobacteria, algae, and plants pass electrons through both photosystems in a Z-scheme generating both ATP (energy) and NADPH (reducing power)

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Electrons are transferred between PS II and PS I by Plastocyanin (PC), are passed to NADP+, and are replenished by stripping them from H2O

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In Cyclic Electron Transport, PS I passes re-excited electrons back to PS II to generate more ATP

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The energy generated in the light-dependent reactions (ATP and NADPH) fuels the Calvin Cycle in the stroma

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Step 1 of the Calvin Cycle fixes carbon by combining 3 molecules of Ribulose Bisphosphate (RuBP) and 3 CO2

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Step 2 uses energy to reduce the 3-carbon molecules made in step 1 to glyceraldehyde-3-phosophate (G3P)

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Step 3 uses 5 out of 6 G3P molecules (and more ATP) to regenerate the 3 RuBP that went into step 1

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Rubisco (enzyme which combines RuBP and CO2) may react RuBP with O2 in a reaction called photorespiration

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Leaves can regulate the rate of the Calvin Cycle by controlling CO2 passage through gates called stomata

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C4 Plants regulate the Calvin Cycle through spatial regulation (physical separation of Rubisco and air)

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Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) Plants also use the C4 cycle but as part of temporal regulation

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Photosynthetic protein synthesis is regulated by light, temperature, CO2 and sugar concentrations

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Sugar (glucose & fructose) synthesized from G3P is stored as sucrose (small & mobile) or starch (large)

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