Bio1152
Chapter
10
Photosynthesis
Plants and
other
are the
of ecosystems.
Photoautotrophs can convert
solar
energy into the
energy
in food by a process called
.
Photosynthesis
is a
process where water is
and carbon dioxide is
to
.
In plants, photosynthesis occurs in organelles called
chloroplasts,
which contain its own
pigment
molecules.
There are two
major
stages: the
reactions and the
cycle (light-independent reactions).
The light reactions occur in the
, where
pigment
molecules located in a
photosystem
absorb light and their electrons reach an
state.
Each excited
electron
is passed through an
transport chain
(ETC)
and another photosystem, where the energy is used to produce
and reduce NADP
+
to
.
The
Calvin
cycle occurs in the
to synthesize
from carbon dioxide.
plants are adapted to hot, dry climates by incorporating CO
2
into
-carbon as the substrate in the
Calvin
cycle.
The production of
carbon compounds from
CO
2
is called
fixation.