This flashcard set includes the vocabulary words and definitions from Chp 10: Photosynthesis (Biology 8E by Campbell et al, 2008).
Terms : Hide Images
| 41822471 | photosynthesis | the conversion of light energy to chemical energy that is stored in sugars or other organic compounds | |
| 41822472 | autotroph | use energy from the sun or from the oxidation of inorganic substances to make organic molecules from inorganic ones | |
| 41822473 | heterotroph | an organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or substances derived from them | |
| 41822474 | chlorophyll | a green pigment located within the chloroplasts of plants and algae, and in the membranes of certain prokaryotes | |
| 41822475 | mesophyll | the ground tissue of a leaf, sandwiched between the upper and lower epidermis and specialized for photosynthesis | |
| 41822476 | stomata | microscopic pores surrounded by guard cells in the epidermis of leaves and stems that allows gas exchange between the environment and the interior of the plant | |
| 41822477 | stroma | the dense fluid within the chloroplast surrounding the thylakoid membrane, involved in the synthesis of organic molecules from carbon dioxide and water | |
| 41822478 | thylakoid | a flattened membranous sac inside a chloroplast that contains the molecular "machinery" used to convert light energy to chemical energy | |
| 41822479 | light reactions | the first set of reactions in photosynthesis that convert solar energy to the chemical energy of ATP and NADPH, releasing oxygen in the process | |
| 41822480 | Calvin cycle | the second of two major stages in photosynthesis, involving fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide and reduction of the fixed carbon into carbohydrate | |
| 41822481 | NADP+ | an electron acceptor that temporarily stores energized electrons produced during the light reactions | |
| 41822482 | photophosphorylation | the process of generating ATP from ADP and phosphate by means of a proton-motive force generated across the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast during the light reactions of photosynthesis | |
| 41822483 | carbon fixation | the initial incorporation of carbon from carbon dioxide into an organic compound by an autotrophic organism | |
| 42016228 | wavelength | the distance between crests of waves, such as those of the electromagnetic spectrum | |
| 42016229 | electromagnetic spectrum | the entire spectrum of radiation ranging in wavelength from less than a nanometer to more than a kilometer | |
| 42016230 | visible light | the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that can be detected as various colors by the human eye, ranging in wavelength from about 380 nm to about 750 nm | |
| 42016231 | photon | a quantum, or discrete quantity, of light energy that behaves as if it were a particle | |
| 42016232 | spectrophotometer | an instrument that measures the proportions of light of different wavelengths absorbed and transmitted by a pigment solution | |
| 42016233 | absorption spectrum | the range of a pigment's ability to absorb various wavelengths of light | |
| 42016234 | chlorophyll a | a photosynthetic pigment that participates directly in the light reactions, which convert solar energy to chemical energy | |
| 42016235 | action spectrum | a graph that profiles the relative effectiveness of different wavelengths of radiation in driving a particular process | |
| 42016236 | chlorophyll b | a type of accessory photosynthetic pigment that transfers energy to chlorophyll a | |
| 42016237 | carotenoid | an accessory pigment, either yellow or orange, in the chloroplasts of plants and in some prokaryotes, that broaden the spectrum of colors that can drive photosynthesis | |
| 42016238 | photosystem | a light-capturing unit located in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast, consisting of a reaction-center complex surrounded by numerous light-harvesting complexes | |
| 42016239 | reaction-center complex | a group of proteins associated with a special pair of chlorophyll a molecules and a primary electron acceptor that triggers the light reaction of photosynthesis | |
| 42016240 | light-harvesting complex | a group of proteins associated with pigment molecules (chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids) that captures light energy and transfers it to reaction-center pigments in a photosystem | |
| 42016241 | primary electron acceptor | in the thylakoid membrane of a chloroplast, a specialized molecule that shares the reaction-center complex with a pair of chlorophyll a molecules and that receives an eletron from this special pair | |
| 42016242 | photosystem II | a light-capturing unit in a chloroplast's thylakoid memebrane having two molecules of P680 chlorophyll a at its reaction center | |
| 42016243 | photosystem I | a light-capturing unit in a chloroplast's thylakoid memebrane having two molecules of P700 chlorophyll a at its reaction center | |
| 42016244 | linear electron flow | a route of electron movement during the light reactions of photosynthesis that involves both photosystems I and II and produces ATP, NADPH, and oxygen gas | |
| 42016246 | glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate | a three-carbon carbohydrate that is the direct product of the Calvin cycle and is also an intermediate in glycolysis | |
| 42016247 | rubisco | ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of the Calvin cycle (the addition of carbon dioxide to RuBP) |
