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Photosynthesis
This category is for questions about the chemical process in which autotrophic organisms use sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to make glucose, water and oxygen. This process is vital to life and is of great importance in biology.
6,415 Questions
What do photosynthetic cells require in order to transform light energy into chemical energy?
Photosynthetic cells require chlorophyll, a pigment that absorbs light energy, and water to carry out the chemical reactions of photosynthesis. They also need carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to provide carbon for synthesizing organic molecules like glucose.
What FOUR ways are there in which the whole leaf can be adapted to carry out photosynthesis?
- Increased surface area: Larger leaves provide more space for photosynthesis to occur.
- Specialized cells: Chloroplast-containing cells in the leaf's mesophyll layer are adapted for photosynthesis.
- Thinness: Thin leaves allow for efficient diffusion of gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen.
- Vein distribution: Vascular bundles in leaves deliver water, nutrients, and sugars to support photosynthesis.
What two types of reactions occur during photosynthesis?
The two reactions which occur during photosynthesis are light reaction and dark reaction. Light reaction takes place only in the presence of light. Dark reaction can occur with or without light.
What are facts about photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert sunlight into energy in the form of glucose. It takes place in the chloroplasts of plant cells and involves the absorption of carbon dioxide and the release of oxygen as a byproduct. Photosynthesis is essential for life on Earth as it is the primary source of oxygen in the atmosphere and provides the energy that sustains most living organisms.
What is an organelle found in plant and algae cells where photosynthesis occurs?
Chloroplasts are the organelles found in plant and algae cells where photosynthesis takes place. They contain chlorophyll, a green pigment that captures sunlight energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
What kind of reaction is photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is a chemical reaction that converts carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using sunlight as an energy source. It is a complex process that occurs in plants, algae, and some bacteria.
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose. This process involves the absorption of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, and produces oxygen as a byproduct. Photosynthesis is essential for the survival of most living organisms on Earth.
Is O2 converted to CO2 during cell respiration?
No, during cell respiration, oxygen (O2) is used to break down glucose molecules to produce energy in the form of ATP. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced as a byproduct of this process and is released as waste.
What is the function of stomata in photosynthesis?
Stomata are pores on the surface of leaves that regulate gas exchange, allowing for the uptake of carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis and the release of oxygen produced during photosynthesis. They also help regulate water loss from the plant through transpiration.
NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) serves as a coenzyme in many cellular processes, particularly in anabolic reactions such as photosynthesis and lipid biosynthesis. It acts as an electron carrier, accepting and donating electrons to drive these metabolic reactions.
How do you write photosynthesis in word formula?
Carbondioxide + Water ----------------> Glucose + Oxygen
What is the opposite of photosynthesis it begins with r?
The opposite of photosynthesis is respiration. Respiration is the process where organisms take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide, generating energy. This is the reverse of what happens in photosynthesis, where plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen using sunlight to produce energy.
What is the role of chlorophyll a?
Chlorophyll a is a pigment molecule that plays a crucial role in photosynthesis. It absorbs light energy from the sun and converts it into chemical energy used to drive the synthesis of carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. This process is essential for sustaining plant and algal life.
Is carbon dioxide is reduced during the Calvin cycle in photosynthesis?
yes, it is. <- Trolololol.
CO2 is first fixated by adding CO2 to Organic Compounds (external or Auto made) to make it RuBP. The Reduction part is the Use of ATP and NADPH from noncyclic part of photophosphorylation, to energize CO2-> carbohydrate.
Is Narra Tree a Dicot or Monocot?
Narra tree is a dicot plant. Dicots are characterized by having two seed leaves or cotyledons, whereas monocots have only one cotyledon.
Where most photosynthesis takes place in the leaf?
Most photosynthesis takes place in the mesophyll cell layer of a leaf, specifically in the chloroplasts of these cells. The palisade mesophyll cells are particularly important for photosynthesis due to their high concentrations of chloroplasts and direct exposure to light.
What are the steps involved in photosynthesis?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts light energy into chemical energy. Its initial substrates are carbon dioxide and water; the energy source is sunlight (electromagnetic radiation); and the end-products are oxygen and (energy-containing) carbohydrates, such as sucrose, glucose or starch. This process is one of the most important biochemical pathways,[1] since nearly all life on Earth either directly or indirectly depends on it as a source of energy. It is a complex process occurring in plants, algae, as well as bacteria such as cyanobacteria. Photosynthetic organisms are also referred to as photoautotrophs.[1]
Photosynthesis uses light energy and carbon dioxide to make triose phosphates (G3P). G3P is generally considered the first end-product of photosynthesis.[citation needed] It can be used as a source of metabolic energy, or combined and rearranged to form monosaccharide or disaccharide sugars, such as glucose or sucrose, respectively, which can be transported to other cells, stored as insoluble polysaccharides such as starch, or converted to structural carbohydrates, such as cellulose or glucans.
A commonly used slightly simplified equation for photosynthesis is:6 CO2(g) + 12 H2O(l) + photons → C6H12O6(aq) + 6 O2(g) + 6 H2O(l)carbon dioxide + water + light energy → glucose + oxygen + water
The equation is often presented in introductory chemistry texts in an even more simplified form as:[2]6 CO2(g) + 6 H2O(l) + photons → C6H12O6(aq) + 6 O2(g)
Photosynthesis occurs in two stages. In the first stage, light-dependent reactions or photosynthetic reactions(also called the Light Reactions) capture the energy of light and use it to make high-energy molecules. During the second stage, the light-independent reactions (also called the Calvin-Benson Cycle, and formerly known as the Dark Reactions) use the high-energy molecules to capture and chemically reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) (also called carbon fixation) to make the precursors of carbohydrates.
In the light reactions, one molecule of the pigment chlorophyll absorbs one photon and loses one electron. This electron is passed to a modified form of chlorophyll called pheophytin, which passes the electron to a quinone molecule, allowing the start of a flow of electrons down an electron transport chain that leads to the ultimate reduction of NADP to NADPH. In addition, this creates a proton gradient across the chloroplast membrane; its dissipation is used by ATP Synthase for the concomitant synthesis of ATP. The chlorophyll molecule regains the lost electron from a water molecule through a process called photolysis, which releases a dioxygen (O2) molecule.
In the Light-independent or dark reactions the enzyme RuBisCO captures CO2 from the atmosphere and in a process that requires the newly formed NADPH, called the Calvin-Benson Cycle, releases three-carbon sugars, which are later combined to form sucrose and starch.
Photosynthesis may simply be defined as the conversion of light energy into chemical energy by living organisms. It is affected by its surroundings, and the rate of photosynthesis is affected by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, the light intensity, and the temperature.
Photosynthesis uses only 1% of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and 2% of the visible spectrum.[citation needed] It has been estimated that the productivity of photosynthesis is 115 petagrams (Pg, equals 1015 grams or 109 metric tons).
In plantsMost plants are photoautotrophs, which means that they are able to synthesize food directly from inorganic compounds using light energy - for example from the sun, instead of eating other organisms or relying on nutrients derived from them. This is distinct from chemoautotrophs that do not depend on light energy, but use energy from inorganic compounds.6 CO2 + 12 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2OThe energy for photosynthesis ultimately comes from absorbed photons and involves a reducing agent, which is water in the case of plants, releasing oxygen as product. The light energy is converted to chemical energy (known as light-dependent reactions), in the form of ATP and NADPH, which are used for synthetic reactions in photoautotrophs. The overall equation for the light-dependent reactions under the conditions of non-cyclic electron flow in green plants is:[3]2 H2O + 2 NADP+ + 2 ADP + 2 Pi + light → 2 NADPH + 2 H+ + 2 ATP + O2
Most notably, plants use the chemical energy to fix carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and other organic compounds through light-independent reactions. The overall equation for carbon fixation (sometimes referred to as carbon reduction) in green plants is:[3]3 CO2 + 9 ATP + 6 NADPH + 6 H+ → C3H6O3-phosphate + 9 ADP + 8 Pi + 6 NADP+ + 3 H2O
To be more specific, carbon fixation produces an intermediate product, which is then converted to the final carbohydrate products. The carbon skeletons produced by photosynthesis are then variously used to form other organic compounds, such as the building material cellulose, as precursors for lipid and amino acid biosynthesis, or as a fuel in cellular respiration. The latter occurs not only in plants but also in animals when the energy from plants gets passed through a food chain. Organisms dependent on photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms are called heterotrophs. In general outline, cellular respiration is the opposite of photosynthesis: Glucose and other compounds are oxidized to produce carbon dioxide, water, and chemical energy. However, the two processes take place through a different sequence of chemical reactions and in different cellular compartments.
Plants absorb light primarily using the pigment chlorophyll, which is the reason that most plants have a green color. The function of chlorophyll is often supported by other accessory pigments such as carotenes and xanthophylls. Both chlorophyll and accessory pigments are contained in organelles (compartments within the cell) called chloroplasts. Although all cells in the green parts of a plant have chloroplasts, most of the energy is captured in the leaves. The cells in the interior tissues of a leaf, called the mesophyll, can contain between 450,000 and 800,000 chloroplasts for every square millimeter of leaf. The surface of the leaf is uniformly coated with a water-resistant waxy cuticle that protects the leaf from excessive evaporation of water and decreases the absorption of ultraviolet or blue light to reduce heating. The transparent epidermis layer allows light to pass through to the palisade mesophyll cells where most of the photosynthesis takes place.
Plants convert light into chemical energy with a maximum photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 6%.[4][5][6] By comparison solar panels convert light into electric energy at a photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 10-20%. Actual plant's photosynthetic efficiency varies with the frequency of the light being converted, light intensity, temperature and proportion of CO2 in atmosphere.
In algae and bacteriaAlgae come in multiple forms from multicellular organisms like kelp, to microscopic, single-cell organisms. Although they are not as complex as land plants, the biochemical process of photosynthesis is the same. Very much like plants, algae have chloroplasts and chlorophyll, but various accessory pigments are present in some algae such as phycocyanin, carotenes, and xanthophylls in green algae and phycoerythrin in red algae (rhodophytes), resulting in a wide variety of colors. Brown algae and diatoms contain fucoxanthol as their primary pigment. All algae produce oxygen, and many are autotrophic. However, some are heterotrophic, relying on materials produced by other organisms. For example, in coral reefs, there is a mutualistic relationship between zooxanthellae and the coral polyps.[7]Photosynthetic bacteria do not have chloroplasts (or any membrane-bound organelles). Instead, photosynthesis takes place directly within the cell. Cyanobacteria contain thylakoid membranes very similar to those in chloroplasts and are the only prokaryotes that perform oxygen-generating photosynthesis. In fact, chloroplasts are now considered to have evolved from an endosymbiotic bacterium, which was also an ancestor of cyanobacterium.
The other photosynthetic bacteria have a variety of different pigments, called bacteriochlorophylls, and use electron donors different from water and thus do not produce oxygen. Some bacteria, such as Chromatium, oxidize hydrogen sulfide instead of water for photosynthesis, producing sulfur as waste. Other photosynthetic bacteria oxidize ferrous iron to ferric iron,[8] others nitrite to nitrate,[9] and still others use arsenites, producing arsenates.[10]
All photosynthesizing organisms must be in the photic (light-receiving) zone, except for those near hydrothermal vents which give faint light.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a metabolic pathway that converts light energy into chemical energy. Its initial substrates are carbon dioxide and water; the energy source is sunlight (electromagnetic radiation); and the end-products are oxygen and (energy-containing) carbohydrates, such as sucrose, glucose or starch. This process is one of the most important biochemical pathways,[1] since nearly all life on Earth either directly or indirectly depends on it as a source of energy. It is a complex process occurring in plants, algae, as well as bacteria such as cyanobacteria. Photosynthetic organisms are also referred to as photoautotrophs.[1]
Photosynthesis uses light energy and carbon dioxide to make triose phosphates (G3P). G3P is generally considered the first end-product of photosynthesis.[citation needed] It can be used as a source of metabolic energy, or combined and rearranged to form monosaccharide or disaccharide sugars, such as glucose or sucrose, respectively, which can be transported to other cells, stored as insoluble polysaccharides such as starch, or converted to structural carbohydrates, such as cellulose or glucans.
A commonly used slightly simplified equation for photosynthesis is:6 CO2(g) + 12 H2O(l) + photons → C6H12O6(aq) + 6 O2(g) + 6 H2O(l)carbon dioxide + water + light energy → glucose + oxygen + water
The equation is often presented in introductory chemistry texts in an even more simplified form as:[2]6 CO2(g) + 6 H2O(l) + photons → C6H12O6(aq) + 6 O2(g)
Photosynthesis occurs in two stages. In the first stage, light-dependent reactions or photosynthetic reactions(also called the Light Reactions) capture the energy of light and use it to make high-energy molecules. During the second stage, the light-independent reactions (also called the Calvin-Benson Cycle, and formerly known as the Dark Reactions) use the high-energy molecules to capture and chemically reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) (also called carbon fixation) to make the precursors of carbohydrates.
In the light reactions, one molecule of the pigment chlorophyll absorbs one photon and loses one electron. This electron is passed to a modified form of chlorophyll called pheophytin, which passes the electron to a quinone molecule, allowing the start of a flow of electrons down an electron transport chain that leads to the ultimate reduction of NADP to NADPH. In addition, this creates a proton gradient across the chloroplast membrane; its dissipation is used by ATP Synthase for the concomitant synthesis of ATP. The chlorophyll molecule regains the lost electron from a water molecule through a process called photolysis, which releases a dioxygen (O2) molecule.
In the Light-independent or dark reactions the enzyme RuBisCO captures CO2 from the atmosphere and in a process that requires the newly formed NADPH, called the Calvin-Benson Cycle, releases three-carbon sugars, which are later combined to form sucrose and starch.
Photosynthesis may simply be defined as the conversion of light energy into chemical energy by living organisms. It is affected by its surroundings, and the rate of photosynthesis is affected by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, the light intensity, and the temperature.
Photosynthesis uses only 1% of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and 2% of the visible spectrum.[citation needed] It has been estimated that the productivity of photosynthesis is 115 petagrams (Pg, equals 1015 grams or 109 metric tons).
In plantsMost plants are photoautotrophs, which means that they are able to synthesize food directly from inorganic compounds using light energy - for example from the sun, instead of eating other organisms or relying on nutrients derived from them. This is distinct from chemoautotrophs that do not depend on light energy, but use energy from inorganic compounds.6 CO2 + 12 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2OThe energy for photosynthesis ultimately comes from absorbed photons and involves a reducing agent, which is water in the case of plants, releasing oxygen as product. The light energy is converted to chemical energy (known as light-dependent reactions), in the form of ATP and NADPH, which are used for synthetic reactions in photoautotrophs. The overall equation for the light-dependent reactions under the conditions of non-cyclic electron flow in green plants is:[3]2 H2O + 2 NADP+ + 2 ADP + 2 Pi + light → 2 NADPH + 2 H+ + 2 ATP + O2
Most notably, plants use the chemical energy to fix carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and other organic compounds through light-independent reactions. The overall equation for carbon fixation (sometimes referred to as carbon reduction) in green plants is:[3]3 CO2 + 9 ATP + 6 NADPH + 6 H+ → C3H6O3-phosphate + 9 ADP + 8 Pi + 6 NADP+ + 3 H2O
To be more specific, carbon fixation produces an intermediate product, which is then converted to the final carbohydrate products. The carbon skeletons produced by photosynthesis are then variously used to form other organic compounds, such as the building material cellulose, as precursors for lipid and amino acid biosynthesis, or as a fuel in cellular respiration. The latter occurs not only in plants but also in animals when the energy from plants gets passed through a food chain. Organisms dependent on photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms are called heterotrophs. In general outline, cellular respiration is the opposite of photosynthesis: Glucose and other compounds are oxidized to produce carbon dioxide, water, and chemical energy. However, the two processes take place through a different sequence of chemical reactions and in different cellular compartments.
Plants absorb light primarily using the pigment chlorophyll, which is the reason that most plants have a green color. The function of chlorophyll is often supported by other accessory pigments such as carotenes and xanthophylls. Both chlorophyll and accessory pigments are contained in organelles (compartments within the cell) called chloroplasts. Although all cells in the green parts of a plant have chloroplasts, most of the energy is captured in the leaves. The cells in the interior tissues of a leaf, called the mesophyll, can contain between 450,000 and 800,000 chloroplasts for every square millimeter of leaf. The surface of the leaf is uniformly coated with a water-resistant waxy cuticle that protects the leaf from excessive evaporation of water and decreases the absorption of ultraviolet or blue light to reduce heating. The transparent epidermis layer allows light to pass through to the palisade mesophyll cells where most of the photosynthesis takes place.
Plants convert light into chemical energy with a maximum photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 6%.[4][5][6] By comparison solar panels convert light into electric energy at a photosynthetic efficiency of approximately 10-20%. Actual plant's photosynthetic efficiency varies with the frequency of the light being converted, light intensity, temperature and proportion of CO2 in atmosphere.
In algae and bacteriaAlgae come in multiple forms from multicellular organisms like kelp, to microscopic, single-cell organisms. Although they are not as complex as land plants, the biochemical process of photosynthesis is the same. Very much like plants, algae have chloroplasts and chlorophyll, but various accessory pigments are present in some algae such as phycocyanin, carotenes, and xanthophylls in green algae and phycoerythrin in red algae (rhodophytes), resulting in a wide variety of colors. Brown algae and diatoms contain fucoxanthol as their primary pigment. All algae produce oxygen, and many are autotrophic. However, some are heterotrophic, relying on materials produced by other organisms. For example, in coral reefs, there is a mutualistic relationship between zooxanthellae and the coral polyps.[7]Photosynthetic bacteria do not have chloroplasts (or any membrane-bound organelles). Instead, photosynthesis takes place directly within the cell. Cyanobacteria contain thylakoid membranes very similar to those in chloroplasts and are the only prokaryotes that perform oxygen-generating photosynthesis. In fact, chloroplasts are now considered to have evolved from an endosymbiotic bacterium, which was also an ancestor of cyanobacterium.
The other photosynthetic bacteria have a variety of different pigments, called bacteriochlorophylls, and use electron donors different from water and thus do not produce oxygen. Some bacteria, such as Chromatium, oxidize hydrogen sulfide instead of water for photosynthesis, producing sulfur as waste. Other photosynthetic bacteria oxidize ferrous iron to ferric iron,[8] others nitrite to nitrate,[9] and still others use arsenites, producing arsenates.[10]
All photosynthesizing organisms must be in the photic (light-receiving) zone, except for those near hydrothermal vents which give faint light.
Is cellular respiration a reverse process of photosynthesis?
Yes, they are nearly the exact opposite. While the equation for photosynthesis is 6CO2+6H2O (in the presence of light)yields C6H12O6+6O2 the equation for respiration is C6H12O6+6O2 (in the presence of enzymes) yields 6CO2+6H2O As you can see, the factor in these equations preventing them from being completely opposite is the presence of light or the presence of enzymes. In this aspect, the equations are not the opposite.
Simple food made by photosynthesis?
Plants use photosynthesis to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose, which serves as their primary source of energy. This glucose is then used to produce a variety of simple foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts.
Why are pigments needed for photosynthesis?
Pigments are needed for photosynthesis to capture light energy. Specifically, pigments such as chlorophyll absorb certain wavelengths of light necessary for the conversion of light energy into chemical energy during the process of photosynthesis. Without pigments, plants would not be able to harvest light to fuel their growth and metabolism.
What conditions are needed for photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis requires light energy, carbon dioxide, and water to occur. These essential components are used by plants to create glucose (sugar) and oxygen as byproducts. The process takes place in the chloroplasts of plant cells.
Mycelia are the root-like structures of fungi that help them absorb nutrients from their surroundings. They are made up of a network of thin, branching threads called hyphae. Mycelia play a vital role in the decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling in ecosystems.
Why does the plant need to do Photosynthesis?
Plants need photosynthesis in the same way that you need to eat. They convert the energy of the sun into glucose using water and carbon dioxide. They release oxygen, which you need like they need carbon dioxide. They use the glucose to grow. When we eat plants, we eat them for the glucose because we convert glucose into ATP, which is the energy molecule. We use ATP constantly to function, which is why we have to regularly consume food. That's why you eat your green vegetables. Plants that use photosynthesis are green because they absorb every color of light from the sun except for green, which they reflect because green light isn't efficient.
Yeah, whut he said.
Factors Affecting Photosynthesis?
The limiting factors which affect photosynthesis are:
1.Temperature - the rate of reaction increases; with heat the molecules move about and come together faster. Photosynthesis also involves a series of enzyme-catalysed reactions. Enzymes have an optimum temperature or a temperature at which they work best, so this will also affect the rate of photosynthesis.
2. Light Intensity- the amount of light in the environment varies greatly between night and day. Light is usually the limiting factor from dusk until dawn.
3. Availability of water - If the soil is dry, water may be the limiting factor on photosynthesis
4. Carbon Dioxide Concentration
How does a plant use the sugar made by photosynthesis?
They use sugar creation to release oxygen and they use it as their own food. The transport of sucrose through the phleom cells is powered by water drawn into the vascular system by the difference in solute concentration.
