Photosynthesis and Chloroplast Structure

Vocabulary terms covering photoautotrophs, heterotrophs, chloroplast components, and the light and dark reactions of photosynthesis.

Photoautotrophs

Producers of food consumed by heterotrophic organisms, including plants, algae, and some photosynthetic protists and bacteria.

Heterotrophs

Consumers that feed on plants or animals or decompose organic material.

Chloroplasts

Plant cell structures surrounded by a double membrane that contain stacks of thylakoids and a thick fluid called stroma, serving as the site of photosynthesis.

Stroma

A thick fluid contained within chloroplasts.

Chlorophyll

A light-absorbing pigment in chloroplasts that plays a central role in converting solar energy to chemical energy.

Light reaction

The photosynthetic process that converts sun energy into the energy carriers $ATP$ and $NADPH$.

Dark reaction

The photosynthetic process where energy carriers ($ATP$ and $NADPH$) help turn $CO_2$ into glucose.