Photosynthesis: Light Reactions, Calvin Cycle, and Plant Adaptations

Chloroplast Structure and Components

• Visual concept from the lecture: a giant plant cell with a chloroplast inside the cell wall. The chloroplast contains small discs called thylakoids.
• Chlorophyll is the green pigment located in the thylakoid membranes within the chloroplast; the chloroplast appears green because the thylakoids are green due to chlorophyll.
• The structure and pigments set up the environment for photosynthesis to occur.

Light Reactions: Energy Capture and Electron Transport

• Light energy excites chlorophyll (the pigment in the thylakoid membranes).
• A nearby enzyme-linked system