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Photosynthesis
The process that converts solar energy into chemical energy within chloroplasts.
Chloroplasts
Organelles in plants and other photosynthetic organisms where photosynthesis occurs.
Stroma
The dense fluid inside chloroplasts surrounding the thylakoids.
Thylakoids
Connected sacs within the chloroplast that compose a third membrane system.
Light reactions
The first stage of photosynthesis that converts solar energy to the chemical energy of ATP and NADPH.
Calvin cycle
The second stage of photosynthesis that uses ATP and NADPH to convert CO2 into sugar.
Chlorophyll
The green pigment in plants that absorbs light for photosynthesis.
Autotrophs
Organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis.
Heterotrophs
Organisms that cannot produce their own food and rely on consuming other organisms.
Electromagnetic spectrum
The entire range of electromagnetic energy, including visible light.
Wavelength
The distance between crests of electromagnetic waves.
Absorption spectrum
A graph that shows a pigment's light absorption versus wavelength.
Rubisco
The enzyme that catalyzes the first step of the Calvin cycle, fixing CO2.
Linear electron flow
The primary pathway of electron flow during the light reactions in photosynthesis.
Cyclic electron flow
A pathway of electron flow that produces ATP but not NADPH, using only photosystem I.
Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G3P)
The sugar produced in the Calvin cycle for net synthesis.
Photophosphorylation
The process of generating ATP from ADP in the light reactions.
Proton gradient
A difference in proton concentration across a membrane, driving ATP synthesis.
NADP+
The electron acceptor in the light reactions, which is reduced to NADPH.
Electron transport chain
A series of proteins that transfer electrons during the light reactions, creating ATP.
Stomata
Microscopic pores on leaves that allow CO2 to enter and O2 to exit.
