Ch. 5 Chapter Summary - Concepts of Biology | OpenStax

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the Chapter 5 summary of photosynthesis, covering light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle.

Autotrophs

Organisms that can perform photosynthesis and require the presence of chlorophyll to convert light energy into chemical energy.

Chlorophyll

A specialized pigment that can absorb light and convert light energy into chemical energy.

Chloroplasts

Organelles found in eukaryotic autotrophs, such as plants and algae, in which photosynthesis takes place.

Light-dependent reaction

The first part of photosynthesis where pigment molecules absorb energy from sunlight.

Chlorophyll a

The most common and abundant pigment found in the light-dependent reactions.

Photosystem II

The component that a photon strikes to initiate the process of photosynthesis.

Thylakoid space

The area into which hydrogen ions are pumped by the electron transport chain to form an electrochemical gradient.

ATP synthase

A specialized protein through which hydrogen ions flow from the thylakoid space into the stroma to produce ATP.

Chemiosmosis

The process of hydrogen ions flowing through ATP synthase to form molecules of ATP.

Photosystem I

The component that absorbs a second photon, resulting in the formation of an NADPH molecule.

Calvin cycle

The stage of photosynthesis that uses energy carriers to fix $CO_2$ from the environment to build carbohydrate molecules.

RuBisCO

The enzyme that catalyzes the fixation reaction in the Calvin cycle by combining $CO_2$ with $RuBP$.

G3P

A three-carbon compound formed in the Calvin cycle using energy from ATP and NADPH; some molecules leave the cycle to form carbohydrates while others reform $RuBP$.