Lecture 4.7 Competencies and Study Guide
Light and Photosynthesis
Vocabulary
- Photon
- Frequency (of light)
- Wavelength (of light)
- Speed of light
- Photosystem I
- Photosystem II
- P680
- P700
- Light dependent reactions
- Light independent reactions
- Calvin-Benson (=carbon fixation) cycle
Competencies
- Explain how anabolism and catabolism of glucose are coupled to each other.
- State the free energy change in the complete oxidation or construction of glucose in kcal/mol.
- Describe where the oxygen produced by photosynthesis comes from: CO2 or H2O.
- Describe the experiment that demonstrated how oxygen from photosynthesis is produced.
- Express the 3 quantities describing light as a wave phenomenon and show how they are related in an equation.
- Calculate the free energy in one mole of photons of a given wavelength.
- Explain where in a plant cell the chlorophyll is located.
- Explain how the antenna system in a chloroplast works.
- Explain in general the roles of the light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis.
- Explain the general roles of the 2 electron transport chains (ETCs) in the chloroplast.
- Explain how electrons in both photosystem (PS) I and II are excited to a high energy state.
- Explain what happens to the electrons at the end of the ETCs of both PS I and II.
- Explain how the electrons oxidized off of PS II to start the light-dependent reactions are replaced.
- Explain the light-dependent reactions produce ATP and NADPH.
- Describe the carbon fixation (Calvin-Benson) cycle of the light-independent photosynthetic reactions.
- Describe the source and role of ATP and NADPH in the light-independent reactions.
- Explain the role of rubisco in photosynthesis.
- Explain why one can say that photosynthesis’ main product is not sugar, but rather G3P.
- Explain why G3P is the most important organic molecule on the Earth.