| A | B |
|---|
| autotroph | An organism that obtains organic food molecules without eating other organisms or substances derived from other organisms. Autotrophs use energy from the sun or from the oxidation of inorganic substances to make organic molecules from inorganic ones. |
| C3 plant | A plant that uses the Calvin cycle for the initial steps that incorporate CO2 into organic material |
| C4 plant | A plant that prefaces the Calvin cycle with reactions that incorporate CO2 into four-carbon compounds |
| Calvin cycle | The second of two major stages in photosynthesis (following the light reactions) |
| CAM plant | A plant that uses crassulacean acid metabolism |
| chloroplast | An organelle found only in plants and photosynthetic protists that absorbs sunlight and uses it to drive the synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water |
| granum | (plural |
| greenhouse effect | The warming of planet Earth due to the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide |
| light reactions | The steps in photosynthesis that occur on the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast and that convert solar energy to the chemical energy of ATP and NADPH |
| mesophyll | The ground tissue of a leaf |
| photon | A quantum |
| photosystem | The light-harvesting unit in photosynthesis |
| producers | Organisms that make organic food molecules from CO2 |
| reaction center | The chlorophyll a molecule and the primary electron acceptor in a photosystem; they trigger the light reactions of photosynthesis. The chlorophyll donates an electron |
| stomata | A microscopic pore surrounded by guard cells in the epidermis of leaves and stems that allows gas exchange. |
| stroma | The fluid of the chloroplast surrounding the thylakoid membrane; involved in the synthesis of organic molecules from carbon dioxide and water. |
| thylakoid | A flattened membrane sac inside the chloroplast |
| wavelength | The distance between crests of waves |
