10 photosynthesis

study guide

What is the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs, in terms of food source?

Autotrophs are organisms that produce their own food, typically through photosynthesis while heterotrophs cannot synthesize their own food and instead rely on consuming other organisms

explain the differnce between the stroma of chloroplast and the stomata of plant leaves

The stroma of chloroplasts is the fluid-filled space where the Calvin cycle occurs, while stomata are small openings on plant leaves that facilitate gas exchange. CO2 in and oxygen out, and controls water loss.

what are the 2 main stages of photosyntesis?

Light reactions and calvin cycle

What happens to the electrons in chlorophyll in the light reactions of photosynthesis? How is water involved in this process?

The electrons “excite boosting their energy level. water molecules break/split into H+ and O2, forming some ATP.

what important “waste product” is released in the light reactions?

Oxygen gas (O2)

what two energy carriers are produced in the light reactions?

ATP and NADPH

What is the first step in the Calvin cycle stage of photosynthesis?

carbon fixation

what are ATP and NADPH used for the Calvin cycle?

ATP provides energy and NADPH provides reducing power for converting carbon dioxide into glucose during the Calvin cycle.

what 3-carbon molecules is the final product of the calvin cycle (what leave the cycle?) (hint: its not gluocse)

glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P),

why do C4 plants and CAM plants use an alternative to photosynthesis?

By opening their stomata at night, there is less loss of water to the atmosphere, and they incorporate CO2 into temporary storage molecules and retrieve in the morning so they don’t open their stomata during the hot and dry daytime.

Why is photosynthesis important to heterotrophs?

food/energy and oxygen