Photosynthesis Vocab

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Photosynthesis

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The conversion of light energy to chemical energy that is stored in sugars or other organic compounds, occurs in plants, algae and some prokaryotes

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Autotroph

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An organism that obtains organic food molecules without eating other organisms or substances derived from other organisms, uses energy from the sun or forms oxidation of inorganic substances to make organic molecules from inorganic ones

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Photoautotroph

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An organism that harnesses light energy to drive the synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide, organism that uses light as a source of energy to synthesize organic substances

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Cyanobacteria

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Bacteria photoautotrophs that produce oxygen during Photosynthesis, played a role in establishing our oxygen rich atmosphere

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Carbon dioxide and water

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The reactants of Photosynthesis

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Air Spaces

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Intercellular gaps within the spongy Mesophyll, these gaps are filled with gases that the plant uses (carbon dioxide) and expels (Oxygen and Water Vapor), the gaps connect to the stomata

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Xylem

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Vascular plant tissue consisting mainly of tubular dead cells that conduct most of the water and minerals upward from the roots to the rest of the plant

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Phloem

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Vascular plant tissue consisting of living cells arranged into elongated tubes that transport sugar and other organic nutrients throughout the plant

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Stomata

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A microscopic pore surrounded by guard cells in the epidermis of leaves and stems that allows gas exchange between the environment and the interior of the plant

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Guard cells

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The two cells that flank the stomatal pore and regulate the opening and closing of the pore

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Cuticle

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A waxy covering on the surface of stems and leaves that prevents dedication in terrestrial plants, prevents water loss

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Photon

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A quantum, or discrete quantity of light energy that behaves as if it were a particle

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Pigment Molecule

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Able to absorb energy in photons , in plants include green chlorophyll a, green chlorophyll b and carotenoids which red, orange and yellow, absorb light used in Photosynthesis

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Chlorophyll a

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A photosynthetic pigment that participates directly in the light reactions which convert solar energy to chemical energy

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Photosystem

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A light capturing unit located in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast or in the membrane of some prokaryotes, consisting of a reaction center complex surrounded by numerous light harvesting complexes, there are two types: one and two which absorb light best at different wavelengths

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Photosystem Two

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One of the two light capturing units in a chloroplast’s thylakoid membrane or in the membrane of some prokaryotes, has two molecules of P680 Chlorophyll A at its reaction center

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Reaction Center Complex

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A complex of proteins associated with a special pair of chlorophyll a molecules and a primary electron acceptor, located centrally in a photosystem, triggers the light reactions of Photosynthesis

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Light harvesting Center

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A complex of proteins associated with pigment molecules including green chlorophyll a, green chlorophyll b and carotenoids which are red, orange, and yellow, captures light energy and transfers it to reaction center pigments in a photosystem

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P680

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The reaction center chlorophyll or the primary electron donor of photosystem two that is most reactive and best in absorbing light at a wavelength of 680nm, absorb photons

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P700

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The reaction center chlorophyll or primary electron donor of photosystem one that is most reactive and best in absorbing light at a wavelength of 700nm

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Chloroplast

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An organelle found in plants and photosynthetic protists that absorbs sunlight and uses it to drive the synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water

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Stroma

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The dense fluid within the chloroplast surrounding the thylakoid membrane and containing ribosomes and DNA, involved in the synthesis of organic molecules from carbon dioxide and water

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Thylakoid

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A flattened, membranous sac inside a chloroplast, often exists in stacks called granum that are interconnected; their membranes contain molecular “machinery” (photosystems) used to convert light energy to chemical energy

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Lumen

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Athena inside space of a tubular structure, ex thylakoid

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Mesophyll

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Leaf cells specialized for Photosynthesis, in C3 and CAM plants, these cells are between upper and lower epidermis, in C4 plants, they are located between the bundle sheath cells and the epidermis

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Palisade Mesophyll

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The upper layer of ground tissue in a leaf, consisting of elongated cells, is the primary area of Photosynthesis

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Spongy Mesophyll

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A layer of cells in the interior of leaves consisting of loosely arranged, irregularly shaped cells that have chloroplasts, has many spaces between cells to facilitate the circulation of air and the exchange of gases

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Photosystem one

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A light capturing unit in a chloroplast’s thylakoid membrane or in the membrane of some prokaryotes; it has two molecules of P700 Chlorophyll A at its reaction center