Lesson Overview

Photosynthesis: An Overview

Lesson Overview
8.2 and 8.3: Photosynthesis
Learning Targets:
1.I can explain what a pigment is.
2.I can explain the role that pigments
play in photosynthesis.
3.I can write the chemical equation for
photosynthesis in words and using the
chemical formulas.
4.I can identify the reactants and
products of photosynthesis.
5.I can explain what an electron carrier
does.
6.I can compare and contrast the light
dependent and light independent
reactions.
7.I can explain how water, temperature,
and light intensity affect the rate of
photosynthesis.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

1. I can explain what a pigment is.

2. I can explain the role that pigments play in
photosynthesis.
3. I can write the chemical equation for photosynthesis
in words and using the chemical formulas.
4. I can identify the reactants and products of
photosynthesis.
5. I can explain what an electron carrier does.
6. I can compare and contrast the light dependent and
light independent reactions.
7. I can explain how water, temperature, and light
intensity affect the rate of photosynthesis.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Light
Energy from the sun travels to Earth in the form of light.
Sunlight is a mixture of different wavelengths, many of
which are visible to our eyes and make up the visible
spectrum.

Our eyes see the different wavelengths of the visible spectrum as

different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and
violet.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Pigments
Plants gather the suns energy with light-absorbing
molecules called pigments.

The plants principal pigment is chlorophyll.

If a pigment REFLECTS a particular wavelength of
light, then we see that color of light.
If a pigment ABSORBS a particular wavelength of
light, then we DO NOT SEE that color of light.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Pigments
There are two types of chlorophyll found in plants:
chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b
They absorb light very well in the blue-violet and red
regions of the visible spectrum, but not in the green
region.

Leaves reflect green light, which is why plants look

green.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Pigments
Plants also contain red and orange pigments such as
carotene that absorb light in other regions of the
spectrum.

Most of the time, the green color of the chlorophyll

covers the other pigments, but as temperatures drop
in the fall and chlorophyll molecules break down, the red
and orange pigments may be seen.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Chloroplasts
Photosynthesis takes place inside organelles called
chloroplasts.
Chloroplasts contain saclike photosynthetic
membranes called thylakoids, which are
interconnected and arranged in stacks known as
grana.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Chloroplasts
Pigments are located in the thylakoid membranes.
The fluid portion outside of the thylakoids is known as
the stroma.
Stroma

Grana

Thylakoid
Membrane

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Energy Collection
Because light is a form of energy, any compound that
absorbs light also absorbs energy. Chlorophyll absorbs
visible light especially well.
When chlorophyll absorbs light, a large amount of the
light energy is transferred to electrons. These high
energy electrons make photosynthesis work.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

High-Energy Electrons
The high-energy electrons produced by chlorophyll are
highly reactive and require a special carrier.
An electron carrier is a molecule that takes a pair of high
energy electrons (and their energy) and moves them to
another molecule.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

High-Energy Electrons
Think of a high-energy electron as being similar to a hot
potato. If you wanted to move the potato from one place
to another, you would use an oven mitta carrierto
transport it.
Plants use electron carriers to transport high-energy
electrons from chlorophyll to other molecules.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

High-Energy Electrons
NADP+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate)
is the carrier molecule.
NADP+ accepts and holds two high-energy electrons,
along with a hydrogen ion (H+). In this way, it is
converted into NADPH.
The NADPH can then carry the high-energy electrons to
chemical reactions elsewhere in the cell.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

An Overview of Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis uses the energy of sunlight to convert
water and carbon dioxide into high-energy sugars and
oxygen.
In symbols:

In words:

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Light-Dependent Reactions
Photosynthesis involves two sets of reactions.
The first set of reactions is known as the
light-dependent reactions because they require the
direct light and light-absorbing pigments.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Light-Dependent Reactions
These reactions take place within the thylakoid
membranes of the chloroplast.
The energy from sunlight is used to break apart the
water molecules.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Light-Dependent Reactions
ATP and NADPH are produced from the electrons that
are released when the water is split apart.

Oxygen is released as a waste product.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Light-Independent Reactions/Calvin
Cycle

No light is required to power the light-independent

reactions.
The light-independent reactions take place outside
the thylakoids, in the stroma.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Light-Independent Reactions/Calvin Cycle

Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and
complete the process of photosynthesis by producing
sugars and other carbohydrates.
During light-independent reactions, ATP and NADPH
molecules produced in the light-dependent reactions
are used to produce glucose from carbon
dioxide.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Summary of the Calvin Cycle

The Calvin cycle uses
6 molecules of carbon
dioxide to produce a
single 6-carbon glucose
molecule.
The energy for the
reactions is supplied by
the ATP and NADPH
produced in the lightdependent reactions.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

The End Results

The two sets of photosynthetic reactions work together
the light-dependent reactions trap the energy of sunlight
in chemical form, and the light-independent reactions use
that chemical energy to produce stable, high-energy
sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
In the process, animals, including humans, get food and
an atmosphere filled with oxygen.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Factors Affecting Photosynthesis

The most important factors that affect photosynthesis are:

1. Temperature
2. Light intensity
3. Availability of water

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Temperature, Light, and Water

The reactions of photosynthesis are made
possible by enzymes that function best
between 0C and 35C.
Temperatures above or below this range may
affect those enzymes, slowing down the rate
of photosynthesis or stopping it entirely.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Temperature, Light, and Water

High light intensity increases the rate of
photosynthesis.
After the light intensity reaches a certain level,
however, the plant reaches its maximum rate
of photosynthesis.

Lesson Overview

8.2 and 8.3 Photosynthesis

Temperature, Light, and Water

Because water is one of the raw materials in
photosynthesis, a shortage of water can slow or
even stop photosynthesis.
Water loss can also damage plant tissues.
Plants that live in dry conditions often have waxy
coatings on their leaves to reduce water loss.
They may also have biochemical adaptations
that make photosynthesis more efficient under
dry conditions.