Photosynthesis and Chloroplasts

Flashcards about the structure of chloroplasts and photosynthesis.

What is Photosynthesis?

The process carried out by photoautotrophic organisms (plants, algae, and some bacteria) to produce glucose from water and carbon dioxide, using sunlight absorbed by chlorophyll and carotenoids.

What are the two varieties of chlorophyll found in chloroplasts?

Chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b

What is a Chloroplast?

An organelle with a double membrane found in plant cells, containing thylakoids stacked into grana within the stroma, and housing pigments and enzymes for photosynthesis.

What are the two photosystems involved in photosynthesis, and what do the numbers associated with them represent?

PSII P680 and PSI P700 (The numbers indicate the wavelength for which chlorophyll has the maximum absorption capacity)

What are the key changes that occur when chloroplasts transform into chromoplasts?

Demolition of chlorophyll, demolition of enzymatic proteins involved in photosynthesis, disappearance of the lamellar system, and appearance of lipid droplets or crystals with pigments.

What are the pigments responsible for the orange, yellow, and red colors, respectively, in chromoplasts?

Carotene (orange), Xanthophylls (yellow), and Lycopene (red)

What is Chlorophyll?

The green pigment that absorbs blue and red light but reflects green and yellow light, found in chloroplasts.

What are Thylakoids?

Flattened vesicles inside the stroma of chloroplasts, stacked to form grana, and containing pigments and enzymes involved in photosynthesis.

What is the outer membrane of the chloroplast?

The relatively smooth and permeable outer boundary of the chloroplast.

What is the inner membrane of the chloroplast?

The more selective inner boundary of the chloroplast