1. Photosynthesis
What do you know about photosynthesis? Please take 2 minutes to answer the following in your noteblanks:
What is it??
Who does it?
Where does it happen?
How does it happen?

2. Photosynthesis: What is it?
Photosynthesis is part of the carbon cycle.

3. Photosynthesis: What is it?
Converting the solar energy from the sun into chemical energy stored in glucose.
Glucose is a molecule that is part of many carbohydrates (i.e. starch)
The glucose can later be used to fuel life processes

4. Photosynthesis: who does it?
Autotrophs
Organisms that make their own food
Some bacteria
Plants
Some fungus (lichen)
Some plankton

5. Photosynthesis: where does it happen?
In plant cells, photosynthesis takes place in the CHLOROPLAST
Thylakoid
Where light is captured
Where ATP is made
Stroma
Where glucose is made

7. Photosynthesis: how does it happen?
Light absorption by pigments in the thylakoid
Requires sun light
Light energy converted to ATP in the thylakoid
Requires water (from the roots)
Releases oxygen (through the stomata)
ATP used to convert CO2 to glucose in the stroma
Requires CO2 (enters plants through the stomata)

8. Step 1: Light absorption by pigments
Light from the sun is composed of waves of a variety of wavelengths
Different wavelengths leads to different colors
Visible spectrum

9. Step 1: Light absorption by pigments
Pigments: chemicals that absorb light of various wavelengths.
In many plants, chlorophyll is the pigment that absorbs light energy
Chlorophyll is found in the thylakoid of the chloroplast
Chlorophyll absorbs all but green wavelength light
Green light is reflected, so we see green plants

10. Step 2: Light energy converted to ATP
Once solar energy is absorbed, the energy is used to make ATP.
ATP = adenosine triphosphate
ATP is a molecule that contains lots of energy in its chemical bonds
This step requires water (absorbed via the roots)
This step takes place in the thylakoid

11. Step 3: ATP used to convert CO2 to glucose
The energy in ATP bonds is used to make glucose using CO2
This step happens in the stroma
The CO2 enters the leaf from the stomata
What is the dark green thing? Chloroplast

12. Photosynthesis Overall
Light absorption by pigments
Requires sun light
Light energy converted to ATP
Requires water, releases oxygen
ATP used to convert CO2 to glucose
Requires CO2
H2O + CO Glucose + O2
SOLAR ENERGY

13. Photosynthesis Overall