Basic Biology
Chapter 8
Photosynthesis
Prof. Ranjit Vijayan
Department of Biology
ranjit.v@[Link]
03 713 6302
Trophic organization
Heterotroph
Must eat food (organic molecules from their environment) to sustain life
Autotroph
Makes organic molecules from inorganic sources
Photoautotroph
Use light as a source of energy
Green plants, algae, cyanobacteria
Photosynthesis
The green portions of plants, particularly leaves, carry on photosynthesis.
Energy within light is captured and used to synthesize carbohydrates
CO2 + H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + O2
CO2 is reduced
H2O is oxidized
Energy from light drives this endergonic reaction
Chloroplast
Organelle in plants and algae that carries
out photosynthesis
Green pigment is chlorophyll
Majority of photosynthesis occurs internally
in leaves, in the mesophyll
Carbon dioxide enters and oxygen exits
leaf through pores called stomata
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Chloroplast anatomy
CO2 and water diffuse into chloroplasts.
Outer and inner membrane separated by
intermembrane space
A third membrane, the thylakoid membrane
contains pigment molecules
Membrane forms thylakoids
Enclose thylakoid lumen
Granum – stack of thylakoids
Fluid filled region between thylakoid membrane
and inner membrane is the stroma
Chlorophyll and other pigments within
thylakoid membranes are capable of absorbing
solar energy representing the energy that drives
photosynthesis.
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Light energy
Photosynthetic pigments absorb some light energy and reflect others
Leaves are green because they reflect green wavelengths
Absorption boosts electrons to higher energy levels
Wavelength of light that a pigment absorbs depends on the amount of energy needed
to boost an electron to a higher orbital
After an electron absorbs energy, it is an excited state and usually unstable
Releases energy as: heat and light
Excited electrons in pigments can be transferred to another molecule or “captured”
Captured light energy can be transferred to other molecules to ultimately produce
energy intermediates for cellular work
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Pigments
Photosynthetic Pigments:
Pigments are molecules that absorb wavelengths of light.
Pigments found in chloroplasts (chlorophyll a and b and
carotenoids) absorb various portions of visible light.
Chlorophyll a and b have an important roles in
photosynthesis (absorb violet, blue, red)
Carotenoids: important in fall (when chlorophyll
breaks down) and absorb violet-blue-green range.
Chlorophyll a
Most pigments absorb only some wavelengths of light Chlorophyll b
and reflect or transmit the other wavelengths.
Carotenoids
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2 stages of photosynthesis
Light reaction :
- Chlorophyll absorbs solar energy and energizes electrons.
- Energized electrons move down an electron transport system.
- Energy is captured and later used for ATP production.
- Energized electrons are also taken up by NADP+, an electron carrier.
After NADP+ accept electrons, it becomes NADPH.
- Solar energy ATP, NADPH
Calvin cycle:
- CO2 is taken up in the stroma
and reduced to a carbohydrate.
- Reduction requires ATP and NADPH
ATP, NADPH Carbohydrate
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Photosystems
Captured light energy can be transferred to other molecules to produce energy
intermediate molecules for cellular work
Thylakoid membranes of chloroplast contain two distinct complexes of molecules
Photosystem I (PSI) – discovered first
Photosystem II (PSII) – first step in photosynthesis
Light excites pigment molecules in both PSII and PSI
Photosytem II (PSII)
Two main components
1. Light-harvesting complex (or
antenna complex)
Directly absorbs photons
Energy transferred via resonance
energy transfer
2. Reaction center
P680 →P680*
P680* is relatively unstable, so energy
is transferred quickly
Electron transfers to primary electron
acceptor and captured
Water is oxidized to replace the
electron on P680+, producing oxygen
gas in the process
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Photosystem II (PSII)
Electrons accepted by primary electron acceptor enters an electron transport system
chain located in the thylakoid membrane and then transferred to a pigment molecule
in the reaction center of PSI.
Electron releases some of its energy along the way
Establishes H+ electrochemical gradient
ATP synthesis uses chemiosmotic mechanism similar to mitochondria
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Photosystem I (PSI)
Key role to make NADPH
Light striking light-harvesting complex of PSI transfers energy to a reaction center
High energy electron removed from P700 and transferred to a primary electron acceptor
NADP+ reductase
NADP+ + 2 electrons + H + → NADPH
No splitting water, no oxygen gas formed
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Summary
1. O2 produced in thylakoid lumen by oxidation of H2O by PSII
2 electrons transferred to P680+
2. ATP produced in stroma by H+ electrochemical gradient
1. Splitting of water places H+ in the lumen
2. High-energy electrons move from PSII to PSI, pumping H+ into the lumen
3. Formation of NADPH consumes H+ in the stroma
3. NADPH produced in the stroma from high-energy electrons that start in PSII and
boosted in PSI
NADP+ + 2 electrons + H + → NADPH
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Cyclic and noncyclic electron flow
Noncyclic
Electrons begin at PSII and eventually transfer to NADPH, a linear process
Produces both ATP and NADPH in equal amounts
Cyclic photophosphorylation (cyclic electron flow)
Electron cycling releases energy to transport H+ into lumen driving ATP
synthesis
Produces only ATP
PSI electrons excited, release energy and eventually return to PSI
Both pathways produce ATP, but only the noncyclic pathway also produces NADPH.
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Calvin cycle
Also known as Calvin-Benson Cycle
CO2 incorporated into carbohydrates
Precursors to other organic molecules
Energy storage
Requires massive input of energy
For every 6 CO2 incorporated, 18 ATP and 12 NADPH must be used
Product is glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P), a.k.a. 3-phosphoglyceraldehyde
(PGAL)
Glucose is made later from G3P in a separate process
The three phases of Calvin Cycle
Phase 1 – Carbon fixation
CO2 incorporated into ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) using rubisco
Reaction product is a six-carbon intermediate that splits into
two 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG) molecules
Phase 2 – Reduction and carbohydrate production
ATP is used to convert 3PG into 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (1,3-BPG)
NADPH electrons reduce it to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P)
6 CO2 → 12 G3P
Only 2 G3P molecules used for carbohydrates
10 G3P molecules must be used for regeneration of RuBP
Phase 3 – Regeneration of RuBP
10 G3P are converted into 6 RuBP using 6 ATP
For each six CO2 molecules that enter the cycle one glucose molecule is
produced.
Calvin Cycle
Light
CO2 Chloroplast
NADP
ADP+ Pi
H2O Light Calvin
reactions cycle
O2 ATP
NADPH
O2 CH2O (sugar)
Input
6 CO2 1 Phase 1: Carbon fixation.
C CO2 is incorporated into an
CH2 OPO3 2– O
organic molecule via rubisco.
C O C O–
H C OH H C OH
H C OH CH2 OPO32–
Rubisco 12 3-phosphoglycerate (3PG) (3PG)
CH2 OPO32–
12 ATP
(RuBP) C C C
6 Ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP)
12 ADP
C C C C C
12 1,3-bisphosphoglycerate (1,3-BPG) O
6 ADP
Calvin cycle C C C C OPO32–
12 NADPH
6 ATP H C OH
12 NADP+
3 Phase 3: Regeneration of RuBP. 12 Pi CH2 OPO32–
Two G3P are used to make
glucose and other sugars; the O (1,3-BPG)
10 G3P 12 Glyceraldehyde-
remaining 10 G3P are needed 3-phosphate (G3P) C H
to regenerate RuBP via several C C C
enzymes. ATP is required for C C C H C OH
RuBP regeneration. 2 G3P
CH2 OPO32–
C C C
(G3P)
2 Phase 2: Reduction and carbohydrate production.
ATP is used as a source of energy, and NADPH
Glucose and donates high-energy electrons.
other sugars