Essential Idea:
Light energy is converted
into chemical energy
Understandings:
- Light-dependent reactions take place in the intermembrane space of the thylakoids
- Light-independent reactions take place in the stroma
- Reduced NADP and ATP are produced in the light-dependent reactions
- Absorption of light by photosystems generates excited electrons
- Photolysis of water generates electrons for use in the light-dependent reactions
- Transfer of excited electrons occurs between carriers in thylakoid membranes
- Excited electrons from Photosystem II are used to contribute to generate a proton gradient
- ATP synthase in thylakoids generates ATP using the proton gradient
- Excited electrons from Photosystem I are used to reduce NADP
- In the light-independent reactions a carboxylase catalyses the carboxylation of ribulose bisphosphate
- Glycerate-3-phosphate is reduced to triose phosphate using reduced NADP and ATP
- Triose phosphate is used to regenerate RuBP and produce carbohydrates
- Ribulose bisphosphate is reformed using ATP
- The structure of the chloroplast is adapted to its function in photosynthesis
Application:
- Calvin’s experiment to elucidate the carboxylation of RuBP
Skill:
- Annotation of a diagram to indicate the adaptations of a chloroplast to its function