Day 21 Photosynthesis
-Chloroplasts- Photosynthesis takes place in this organelle
The anatomy of a leaf
-The epidermis is the outer layer
-On the epidermis is a cuticle
-A Cuticle is a waxy covering that helps waterproof and protect the leaf
-On the epidermis there are pores called Stomata that open and close allowing gas exchange like CO2
-The mesophyll contains the chloroplasts and veins
-Phloem and Xylem
-Xylem carries water
-Phloem carries sugar
Why are plants green?
-Electromagnetic Spectrum
-Why do we see the colors we see?
-What happens when you place a plant in green light?
-What happens when you place a plant in blue light?
-Hydroponics
-Pigments
-Chlorophyll- light pigment in plants
-Chlorophyll a
-Chlorophyll b
-Accessory pigments
-Carotenoids
-Why do leaves change color throughout the seasons?
-A tree or plant will become dormant during the winter months because it costs too much energy to stay active during this time
-Once a tree starts to prepare for the winter it kills off its leaves and drops them. The chlorophyll in the leaves which is green dies first which then reveals the orange carotenoids that were always present with the chlorophyll. Then the carotenoids die and the tree drops the leaf
The Basics of Photosynthesis
There are two different reactions
-The light reaction
-The Calvin Cycle
-The light reaction converts solar energy into chemical energy
-The Calvin cycle preforms carbon fixation
Both the mitochondria and the chloroplast have a double membrane
-This is evidence to support the endosymbiosis hypothesis
-Both mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own DNA
The light reaction takes place in the membrane of the thylakoids
All How does the light reaction convert solar energy into chemical energy?
The light dependent reaction happens within the thylakoid membranes
Here are the steps:
-Within the thylakoid H2O(water) is separated into O2(Oxygen) and H+(Hydrogen Ions)
-The Oxygen is released through the stomata because it is not needed
-The thylakoid fills with H+
-The e- (electrons) from the hydrogen are sent to the photosystem 2
-The e- waits in the reaction center
-Sunlight bounces off of the light pigments sending absorbed energy to the reaction center
-The energy is passed on to the e- which becomes excited and jumps to the primary electron receptor
-The excited e- travels through the electron transport chain 2 releasing its energy in the form of ATP
-The e- then reaches the reaction center of photosystem 1
-Sunlight filters through the pigments of photosystem 1 exciting the e- waiting in the reaction center
-The e- then jumps to the electron receptor of photosystem 1
-The e- travels through the ETC 1 where it then waits for an electron carrier
-NADP+ which is an electron carrier comes and picks up the e- along with an H+ becoming NADPH
-The NADPH then floats off into the cytoplasm where the Calvin cycle takes place
The Calvin Cycle takes place in the Stroma
-The Stroma is the space in the chloroplast
-Kind of like the cytoplasm is the space in the cell, the stroma is the space in the chloroplast
-Do not mix up stroma with stoma (stomata) which are the pores on the leaf
-The Calvin cycle is where the carbon fixation takes place.
-Carbon dioxide is brought into the leaf and the carbon is removed so it can be used in the making of sugar
