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| 12947473203 | light reactions | The first 2 major stages of photosynthesis (before the Calvin cycle). These reactions, which occur in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast or on the membranes of certain prokaryotes, convert solar energy to the chemical energy of ATP and NADPH, releasing oxygen in the process | 0 | |
| 12947473204 | C3 plant | A plant that uses the Calvin cycle for the first that combine CO2 and organic material, forming a 3-carbon compound as the first stable intermediate | 1 | |
| 12947473205 | action spectrum | A graph that profiles the effectiveness of different wavelengths of radiation in driving a particular process | 2 | |
| 12947473206 | Chlorophyll | A green pigment found in the chloroplasts of plants, algae, and in the membranes of some prokaryotes. Chlorophyll a participates directly in light reactions, which convert solar energy to chemical energy | 3 | |
| 12947473207 | Stroma | The fluid of the chloroplast surrounding the thylakoid membrane and containing ribosomes and DNA; involved in making organic molecules from CO2 and H2O | 4 | |
| 12947473208 | Wavelength | The distance between crests of waves, such as those of the electromagnetic spectrum. | 5 | |
| 12947473209 | Thylakoid | A flattened membrane sac inside the chloroplast. Thylakoids are often in stacks called grana that are interconnected; their membranes contain molecular "machinery" used to convert light energy to chemical energy | 6 | |
| 12947473210 | Photophosphorylation | The process of generating ATP from ADP and phosphate by means of chemiosmosis, using a proton motive force generated across the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast or the membrane or certain prokaryotes during light reactions of photosynthesis | 7 | |
| 12947473211 | linear electron flow | A route of electron flow during the light reactions of photosynthesis that involves both photosystems (I and II) and produces ATP, NADPH, and O2. The net electron flow is from H2O to NADP+ | 8 | |
| 12947473212 | Heterotroph | An organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or substances derived from them | 9 | |
| 12947473213 | Carotenoid | Accessory pigments, either yellow or orange, in the chloroplast of plants and some prokaryotes. By absorbing wavelengths of light that chlorophyll cannot, carotenoids broaden the spectrum of colors that can drive photosynthesis | 10 | |
| 12947473214 | carbon fixation | The initial incorporation of carbon from CO2 into organic compounds by an autotrophic organism | 11 | |
| 12947473215 | glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) | The 3 carbon carbohydrate that is a direct Calvin Cycle product; it is also an intermediate in glycolysis | 12 | |
| 12947473216 | chlorophyll b | An accessory photosynthetic pigment that transfers energy to chlorophyll a. | 13 | |
| 12947473217 | Photosynthesis | The conversion of light energy to chemical energy that is stored in sugars or other organic compounds; occurs in plants, algae, and certain prokaryotes | 14 | |
| 12947473218 | Photosystem I (PS I) | 1 of 2 light capturing units in a chloroplast's thylakoid membrane or in the membrane of some prokaryotes; is has 2 molecules of P700 chlorophyll a at its reaction center | 15 | |
| 12947473219 | Autotroph | An organism that obtains organic food molecules without eating other organisms or substances. Autotrophs use energy from the sun or from oxidation of inorganic substances to make organic molecules from inorganic ones | 16 | |
| 12947473220 | Rubisco | Ribulose carboxylase, (RuBP) the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of the Calvin cycle | 17 | |
| 12947473221 | reaction-center complex | A complex of proteins associated with a special pair of chlorophyll a molecules and a primary electron acceptor. Located centrally in a photosystem, this complex trigger the light reactions of photosynthesis. Excited by light energy, the pair of chlorophylls donates and electron to the primary electron acceptor which passes and electron to an electron transport chain | 18 | |
| 12947473222 | electomagnetic spectrum | The entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation ranging in wavelength from less than a nanometer to more than a kilometer | 19 | |
| 12947473223 | Photosystem II | One of two units in a chloroplast's membrane or in the membrane of some prokaryotes; it has 2 molecules of P680 chlorophyll a at its reaction center | 20 | |
| 12947473224 | Spectrophotometer | An instrument that measures the ability of a pigment to absorb various wavelengths of light | 21 | |
| 12947473225 | crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) | An adaptation for photosynthesis in arid conditions. In this process, a plant takes up CO2 at night when the stomata are open and incorporates it into a variety of organic acids; during the day, when the stomata are closed, CO2 is released from the organic acids for use in the Calvin cycle | 22 | |
| 12947473226 | Photon | A quantum, or discrete amount, of light energy that behaves as if it were a particle | 23 | |
| 12947473227 | CAM plant | A plant that uses crassulacean acid metabolism, an adaptation for photosynthesis in arid conditions. | 24 | |
| 12947473228 | Stoma | A microscopic lore surrounded by guard cells in the epidermis of leaves and stems that allows gas exchange between the environment and the interior of the plant | 25 | |
| 12947473229 | reduction | The complete addition of electrons involved in a redox reaction | 26 | |
| 12947473230 | visible light | That portion of the electromagnetic spectrum detected as various colors by the human eye ranging in wavelength from about 380 nm to about 750 nm | 27 | |
| 12947473231 | primary electron acceptor | In the thylakoid membrane of a chloroplast or in the membrane of some prokaryotes, a specialized molecule that shares the reaction center complex with a pair of chlorophyll a molecules and accepts electrons from them | 28 | |
| 12947473232 | Calvin Cycle | the second set of reactions in photosynthesis involving fixation of atmospheric CO2 and reduction of the fixed carbon in to carbohydrate | 29 | |
| 12947473233 | carbon fixation | The initial incorporation of carbon into organic compounds by an autotrophic organism | 30 | |
| 12947473234 | C4 plant | A plant in which the Calvin cycle is followed by reactions that incorporate CO2 into a 4-carbon compound, the end product of which supplies CO2 for the Calvin cycle | 31 | |
| 12947473235 | mesophyll | Leaf cells specialized for photosynthesis. In C3 and CAM plants they are located between the upper and lower epidermis; in C4 plants, they are located between the bundle-sheath cells and epidermis | 32 | |
| 12947473236 | NADP+ | An acceptor that temporarily stores energized electrons produced during the light reactions. | 33 | |
| 12947473237 | chlorophyll a | main photosynthetic pigment in plants which directly participates in light reactions | 34 | |
| 12947473238 | light harvesting complex | Complex of proteins associated with pigment molecules that captures light energy and transfers it to reaction-center pigments in a photosystem | 35 | |
| 12947473239 | Photorespiration | Metabolic pathway that consumes oxygen and ATP, releases CO2 and decreases photosynthetic output. Generally occurs on hot, dry, bright days, when the stomata close and the O2:CO2 ratio in the leaf increases, favoring the binding of O2 rather than CO2 by rubisco | 36 | |
| 12947473240 | absorption spectrum | The range of a pigment's ability to absorb various wavelengths of light. | 37 | |
| 12947473241 | photosystem | A cluster of pigments embedded into a thylakoid membrane, consisting of a reaction center complex surrounded by light harvesting complexes | 38 |
