Glossary How Cells Acquire Energy

Chapter 7
absorption
Range of wavelengths that one or more specified pigments can absorb.
spectrum
anthocyanin Blue or red accessory pigment.
autotroph Any organism that makes its own food with an environmental energy source
(e.g., sunlight) and CO2 as its carbon source.
C3 plant Plant that uses three-carbon PGA as the first intermediate for carbon fixation.
C4 plant Plant that uses oxaloacetate (a four-carbon compound) as the first intermediate
for carbon fixation. CO2 is fixed twice, in two cell types; helps counter
photorespiration.
Calvin-Benson Light-independent cyclic reactions of photosynthesis that form sugars, using ATP
cycle energy, NADPH, and CO2.
CAM plant Type of plant that conserves water by opening stomata only at night, when it
fixes carbon dioxide by means of a C4 pathway.
carbon fixation First of the light-independent reactions. Rubisco, an enzyme, affixes carbon
(from CO2) to RuBP or to another compound for entry into the Calvin-Benson
cycle.
carotenoid An accessory pigment of photosynthesis; e.g., fucoxanthin.
chemoautotroph Any prokaryotic cell that synthesizes its own food using carbon dioxide as the
carbon source and an inorganic substance as the energy source.

chlorophyll Main photosynthetic pigment. Chlorophylls absorb all wavelengths of visible

light but not much of green and yellow ones.

chloroplast The organelle of photosynthesis in plants and many protistans.

electromagnetic All wavelengths from radiant energy less than 10-5 nm long to radio waves
spectrum more than 10 km long.
electron transfer Organized array of membrane-bound enzymes and cofactors that accept and
chain donate electrons in series. It sets up an electrochemical gradient that makes H+
flow across the membrane. The flow energy drives ATP formation at ATP
synthases.
fluorescence A destabilized molecule emits light when reverting to more stable form.
heterotroph Organism unable to make its own organic compounds; feeds on autotrophs,
other heterotrophs, organic wastes.
hydrothermal vent
A steaming fissure in the deep ocean floor; has unique ecosystems.
ecosystem
light-dependent The first stage of photosynthesis. Sunlight energy is trapped and converted to
reactions chemical energy of ATP, NADPH, or both, depending on the pathway.
light-independent Second stage of photosynthesis; sugar-building reactions that require
reactions phosphate-group transfers from ATP, electrons and H atoms from NADPH, and
carbon from CO2. The phosphorylated sugars from these reactions are then
converted to end products (e.g., sucrose, cellulose, starch).

PGA Important intermediate of glycolysis and of the Calvin-Benson cycle.

PGAL Intermediate of glycolysis and of the Calvin-Benson cycle.
photoautotroph Photosynthetic autotroph; any organism that synthesizes its own organic
compounds using CO2 for carbon atoms and sunlight for energy. Nearly all plants,
some protistans, and a few bacteria do this.
photolysis Reactions split water molecules using photon energy. The released electrons,
hydrogen used in noncyclic pathway of photosynthesis; oxygen is a by-product.
photon One unit of energy of visible light.
photosynthesis Sunlight energy trapped, converted to chemical energy (ATP, NADPH, or both);
then synthesis of sugar phosphates that are converted to sucrose, cellulose,
starch, and other end products. The main pathway by which energy and carbon
enter the web of life.
photosystem Cluster of many light-trapping pigments in a photosynthetic membrane.
phycobilin Type of accessory pigment; notably abundant in red algae and in cyanobacteria.
pigment Any light-absorbing molecule.
reaction center The only molecule (a special chlorophyll a) that can pass electrons out of a
photosystem to a nearby acceptor molecule.
rubisco An enzyme that catalyzes attachment of the carbon atom from CO2 to RuBP and so
starts the Calvin-Benson cycle of the light-independent reactions.
RuBP An enzyme that catalyzes attachment of the carbon atom from CO2 to RuBP and so
starts the Calvin-Benson cycle of the light-independent reactions.
stoma A gap between two guard cells in leaf or stem epidermis. Opens or closes to control
(stomata) CO2 movement into a plant and H2O and O2 out of it. Stomata help plants conserve
water.
stroma A semifluid matrix between the thylakoid membrane system and two outer
membranes of a chloroplast; a zone where sucrose, starch, cellulose, and other
end products of photosynthesis are assembled.
thylakoid Inner chloroplast membrane often folded as interconnected flattened sacs; forms a
single compartment for hydrogen ions. Light-trapping pigments, and enzymes used
to form ATP, NADPH, or both, are embedded in it.
wavelength A wavelike form of energy in motion. The horizontal distance between the crests of
every two successive waves