Nutrition in Plants and Protists

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the process of photosynthesis in plants and protists, including definitions of important terms and the roles of various components involved.

Photosynthesis

The process by which certain organisms use energy from sunlight to synthesize food.

Autotrophic

Organisms that can synthesize their own food.

Heterotrophic

Organisms that must obtain food from the environment.

Photosynthetic organisms

Green plants, algae, and various other microorganisms that produce food and release oxygen through photosynthesis.

Cellular respiration

The process in which glucose is broken down in the presence of oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water.

Light

A form of electromagnetic energy that travels through space in the form of waves.

Photon

The unit in which light energy is transmitted; its energy depends on the light's wavelength.

Pigments

Materials that absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others; chlorophyll is the most important photosynthetic pigment.

Chlorophyll

The most important pigment in photosynthesis that absorbs blue-violet and red-orange wavelengths.

Grana

Stacked disks of chlorophyll-containing structures within chloroplasts.

Stroma

The fluid that fills the remaining space in chloroplasts.

Factors affecting photosynthesis

Temperature, light intensity, carbon dioxide levels, and concentrations of certain minerals.

Calvin cycle

The process in photosynthesis where carbohydrates are formed from carbon dioxide.

Light-dependent reactions

The first stage of photosynthesis where light energy is converted into chemical energy.

Thylakoids

Membrane-bound structures within chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll and are involved in the light reactions.

Electromagnetic spectrum

The range of all types of electromagnetic radiation, including visible light.

Energy carriers

Molecules like ATP that store and transport energy within cells.

Photosystems

Structures in chloroplasts that absorb light energy and drive the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis.