Bio Ch. 6 (From textbook)

autotroph

An organism that uses chemical energy (i.e. sunlight or the energy from breaking the bonds in inorganic compounds) to produce organic compounds.

photosynthesis

The process by which light energy is converted into chemical energy by forming organic compounds, primarily carbohydrate compounds.

heterotroph

Animals and other organisms that must get energy from food instead of directly from sunlight and inorganic substances.

light dependent reactions

The process by which light energy absorbed from the sun is converted into chemical energy, which is temporarily stored in molecules of ATP and in molecules of NADPH.

chloroplast

The organelle found in plants and algae that is the location of photosynthesis.

thylakoid

Membrane-bound sacks that stack up to form structures called grana (singular, granum - pronounced "gray-num")

granum

A feature of the chloroplast comprised of layered stacks of thylakoids.

stroma

A solution found inside the chloroplast that surrounds the grana. Like the cytoplasm of the chloroplast.

pigment

A substance that absorbs the visible spectrum and reflects the color of light that it does not absorb.

chlorophyll

A pigment located inside the thylakoid responsible for absorbing the visible spectrum and reflecting green light

carotenoid

Accessory pigments found inside the thylakoid that reflect brown, orange, and yellow light.

chemiosmosis

A step in the light reactions when ATP is produced.

Calvin cycle

A series of enzyme-assisted chemical reactions that convert CO2 into glucose via carbon fixation; part of the light independent reactions

carbon fixation

The incorporation of a carbon atom into an existing organic compound. For example: CO2 becomes a 3-carbon sugar.

stomata

Small pores/holes found on the underside of leaves from which plants can rapidly release water into the air.

organic compound

Compounds that contain carbon.

light independent reactions

set of reactions in photosynthesis that do not require light; energy from ATP and NADPH is used to build high-energy compounds such as sugar; also called the Calvin cycle

glucose

A monosaccharide sugar that is created by photosynthesis; C6H12O6