Photosynthesis, Plant Nutrition, and the Carbon Cycle

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture on photosynthesis, plant mineral nutrition, the carbon cycle, and related climate topics.

Photosynthesis

The biochemical process in which green plants use sunlight energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.

Chlorophyll

The green pigment inside chloroplasts that captures light energy for photosynthesis.

Chloroplast

A plant-cell organelle where photosynthesis takes place; contains chlorophyll.

Reactants of Photosynthesis

Water and carbon dioxide, which plants obtain from soil and air respectively.

Products of Photosynthesis

Glucose and oxygen formed during the photosynthetic reaction.

Word Equation for Photosynthesis

water + carbon dioxide → glucose + oxygen

Stomata (singular: Stoma)

Tiny pores in a leaf’s epidermis that allow gases such as CO₂ and O₂ to diffuse in and out.

Mesophyll Cells

Leaf cells rich in chloroplasts where most photosynthesis occurs.

Leaf Veins

Vascular bundles that deliver water to leaf cells and transport sugars away.

Starch

Insoluble carbohydrate in which plants store excess glucose, often inside chloroplasts.

Magnesium Ion (Mg²⁺)

Mineral nutrient required to make chlorophyll; deficiency causes yellowing leaves.

Nitrate Ion (NO₃⁻)

Mineral that supplies nitrogen for making amino acids and proteins in plants.

Chlorosis

Yellowing of leaves due to insufficient magnesium or other mineral deficiencies.

Protein Synthesis in Plants

Process in which plants combine glucose with nitrates to build amino acids and proteins.

Protein Acquisition in Animals

Animals obtain proteins by eating plant or animal tissues rather than manufacturing them from nitrates.

Carbon Cycle

Continuous movement of carbon among the atmosphere, living organisms, decomposers, and fossil fuels.

Respiration

Metabolic process in plants and animals that releases energy from glucose and produces carbon dioxide and water.

Combustion

Chemical reaction in which carbon in fossil fuels combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, releasing heat.

Fossil Fuel

Energy-rich substance such as coal formed from remains of ancient plants; releases CO₂ when burned.

Greenhouse Gas

Atmospheric gas, like carbon dioxide or methane, that traps heat and helps warm Earth’s surface.

Climate

Long-term pattern of temperature, wind, and rainfall for a region or the entire planet.

Ice Age

Extended period when global temperatures are low and large ice sheets cover polar regions.

Snowball Earth

Hypothesis that during certain ancient ice ages, nearly the whole planet was covered in ice and snow.

Asteroid

Large rocky object orbiting the Sun, mainly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Meteor

The streak of light produced when a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere and burns up.

Meteorite

A fragment of a meteoroid or asteroid that survives passage through the atmosphere and lands on Earth.

Mass Extinction

Event in which a large proportion of Earth’s species dies out over a relatively short geological time.

Greenhouse Effect

Warming of Earth caused by greenhouse gases absorbing and re-radiating infrared radiation.

Magnesium Deficiency Symptom

Pale or yellow leaves (chlorosis) due to lack of magnesium needed for chlorophyll synthesis.

Nitrate Deficiency Symptom

Poor growth and weak stems owing to insufficient nitrogen for protein formation.