| A | B |
|---|
| Chlorophyll A | type of chlorophyll that has a blue green color spectrum and receives light first. |
| Chlorophyll B | Type of chlorophyll that has a yellow-green spectrum |
| Action Spectrum | Relative performance profile of different light wavelengths and is more accurate than absorption spectrum |
| Carotenoids | hydrocarbons of various shades of yellows and oranges |
| Reaction Center | Photosystem region where the first light driven photosynthetic reaction occurs |
| Primary Electron Acceptor | Molecule that accepts an electron from a chloroplast molecule during photosynthesis |
| Grana | thylakoids structures stacked-like poker chips in chloroplasts |
| Photosystem One | Photosystem that works better at P700nm |
| Photosystem Two | Photosystem that works better at less than P680nm |
| Cyclic Photophosphorylation | Cyclic flow that does not generate ATP |
| cyclic electron flow | A route of electron flow during the light reactions of photosynthesis that involves only photosystem I and that produces ATP but not NADPH or oxygen |
| rubisco | Ribulose carboxylase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step of the Calvin Cycle. |
| C3 plants | A plant that uses the Carbon Cycle for the initial steps that incorporate CO2 into organic material, forming a three-carbon compound as the first stable intermediate. |
| C4 plants | A plant that prefaces the Calvin Cycle with reactions that incorporate CO2 into a four-carbon compound, the end product of which supplies CO2 for the Calvin Cycle. |
| Photorespiration | A metabolic pathway that consumes oxygen, releases carbon dioxide,generates no ATP, and decreases photosynthetic output. |
| bundle-sheath cells | A type of photosynthetic cell arranged into tightly packed sheaths around the veins of a leaf |
| mesophyll cells | A loosely arranged photosynthetic cell located between the bundle sheath and the leaf surface. |
| PEP Carboxylase | An enzyme that adds carbon dioxide to phosphoenolypyruvate (PEP) to form oxalaocetate. |
| CAM Plants | A plant that uses crassulacean acid metabolism, an adaptation for photosynthesis in arid conditions, first discovered in the family Crassulaceae. Carbon dioxide entering the open stomata during night is converted into organic acids, which release CO2 during the day, when stomata are closed. |
| ATP | An adenine-containing nucleoside triphosphate that releases free energy when its phosphate bonds are hydrolyzed. This energy is used to drive endergonic reactions in cells. |
| 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 |
| 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, used to convert light energy to chemical energy |
| Thylakoid space | The space in the chlorophyll that helps to absorb the light in photosynthesis |
| Photosynthesis | The conversion of light energy to chemical energy that is stored i glucose or other organic compounds; occurs in plants, algae, and certain prokaryotes |
| Autotrophs | An organism that obtains organic food molecules without eating other organisms |
| Heterotrophs | An organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or their by-products |
| Chlorophyll | A green pigment located within the chloroplasts of plants |
| mesophyll | The ground tissue of a leaf, sandwiched between the upper and lower epidermis and specialized for photosynthesis |
| stomata | plural form of stoma- a microscopic pore surrounded by guard cells in th epidermis of leaves and stems that allows gas exchange |
| stroma | the fluid of the cholorplast surrounding the thylakoid membran; involved in the synthesis of organic molcules from carbon dioxide and water |
| Light Reactions | The steps in photosynthesis that occur on the thylakoid membranes of the cholorplast and convert solar energy to the chemical energy ATP and NADPH, and evolving oxygen in the process |
| Calvin Cycle | The second of two major stages in photosynthesis(followng light reactions), involving atmospheric CO2 fixation and reduction of the fixed carbon into carbohydrates |
| NADP+ | (oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) An acceptor that stores energized electrons |
| Photophosphorylation | The process of generating ATP from ADP and phosphate by means of a proton-motive force generated by the thylakoid membrane of the cholorplast duringthe light reactions of photosynthesis |
| Visible Light | The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum deteced as various colors by the human eye, ranging in wavelength from abut 400nm to 700nm |
| Photon | A quantum, or discrete, amount of light energy |
| Absorption Spectrum | The range of a pigment's ability to absorb various wavelengths of light |
