CH 10 vocabulary Flashcards
autotrophs
an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide
thylakoids
membrane-bound compartments inside chloroplasts and are the site of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis
photosynthesis
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.
light reactions
reactions that use light energy to make two molecules needed for the next stage of photosynthesis: the energy storage molecule ATP and the reduced electron carrier NADPH.
stroma
the supportive tissue of an epithelial organ, tumor, gonad, etc., consisting of connective tissues and blood vessels.
NADPH
the reduced form of NADP+; used in anabolic reactions, such as lipid and nucleic acid synthesis
Calvin Cycle
a process that plants and algae use to turn carbon dioxide from the air into sugar
visible light
a form of electromagnetic (EM) radiation, defined as the wavelengths that are visible to most human eyes
wavelengths
the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave’s shape repeats
chlorophyll a
a specific form of chlorophyll used in oxygenic photosynthesis
photon
a particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation
reaction-center complex
a complex of several proteins, pigments and other co-factors that together execute the primary energy conversion reactions of photosynthesis
light-harvesting complexes
an array of protein and chlorophyll molecules embedded in the thylakoid membrane of plants and cyanobacteria, which transfer light energy to one chlorophyll a molecule at the reaction center of a photosystem.
photosystem I
an integral membrane protein complex that uses light energy to catalyze the transfer of electrons across the thylakoid membrane from plastocyanin to ferredoxin.
photosystem II
the first protein complex in the light-dependent reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis
