Photosynthetic organisms have the ability to convert solar energy into electrochemical energy. This creates a dynamic relationship between the organisms and the light that they absorb. Although light is required to drive photosynthesis, the photosynthetic machinery can only tolerate so much of it. Excess light may lead to the generation of reactive oxygen intermediates resulting in oxidative damage to the photosynthetic apparatus (Niyogi, 1999). Therefore it is necessary for organisms such as the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to employ photoprotective mechanisms in order to maintain photosynthetic efficiency and reduce stress caused by excess light. During photosynthesis, solar energy in the form of light is absorbed. This light drives charge separation in the reaction centres of photosystems I (PSI) and II (PSII), initiating electron transport which then leads to the oxidation of …show more content…
They are connected in series by an electron transport chain and they differ in the organization of light harvesting systems and pigment compositions. The two pigments found in the photosystems of green algae are chlorophylls and carotenoids (Green and Durnford, 1996). Chlorophyll is the principal pigment that functions to trap light energy and it is present in two forms; chlorophyll a (Chl a) and chlorophyll b (Chl b), and they can be distinguished based on their absorption spectra. Chl a has an absorption maxima of 659 nm and 429 nm while Chl b has an absorption maxima of 642 nm and 455 nm (Zscheile and Comar, 1941). The presence of two pigments with differing absorption maxima functions to broaden the range of light that can be absorbed and used for photosynthesis. Carotenoids are also present in the photosystems and in addition to serving as light harvesting apparatus, the carotenoids are involved in energy dissipation in the presence of excess light (Santabarbara et al.,
... in the chloroplasts in some of their cells. Chlorophyll allows the energy in sunlight to drive chemical reactions. Chloroplasts act as energy transducers, converting light energy into chemical energy. So as the plant has more light the chlorophyll inside the chloroplasts can react faster absorbing in more light for food and energy.¡¨ So this shows my prediction was correct for in my experiment and shown in my result table and graph the more light intensity there is on a plant the higher the rate of my photosynthesis will be. My prediction is very close to what I said the results will be so my prediction was correct and has been proven to be correct in my result table, graph and now explained again in my conclusion.
Photosynthesis consists of the following equation: Sun light Carbon dioxide + Water = = == == ==> Glucose + Oxygen Chlorophyll Chlorophyll is a substance found in chloroplasts, found in the cells of leaves.
The high rate of absorbance change in blue light in the chloroplast samples (Figure 1) can be attributed to its short wavelength that provides a high potential energy. A high rate of absorbance change is also observed in red light in the chloroplast samples (Figure 1), which can be accredited to the reaction centre’s preference for a wavelength of 680nm and 700nm – both of which fall within the red light range (Halliwell, 1984). Green light showed low rates of photosynthetic activity and difference in change in absorbance at 605nm in the chloroplast samples (Figure 1) as it is only weakly absorbed by pigments, and is mostly reflected. The percentage of absorption of blue or red light by plant leaves is about 90%, in comparison to the 70–80% absorbance in green light (Terashima et al, 2009). Yet despite the high absorbance and photosynthetic activity of blue light, hypocotyl elongation was suppressed and biomass production was induced (Johkan et al, 2012), which is caused by the absorption of blue light by the accessory pigments that do not transfer the absorbed energy efficiently to the chlorophyll, instead direction some of the energy to other pathways. On the other hand, all of the red light is absorbed by chlorophyll and used efficiently, thus inducing hypocotyl elongation and the expansion in leaf area (Johkan et al, 2012).
Experiment #1: The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the effects of baking soda and light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis of green spinach leave through the observation of floating disk.
The process of photosynthesis is present in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and is the process in which cells transform energy in the form of light from the sun into chemical energy in the form of organic compounds and gaseous oxygen (See Equation Below). In photosynthesis, water is oxidized to gaseous oxygen and carbon dioxide is reduced to glucose. Furthermore, photosynthesis is an anabolic process, or in other words is a metabolism that is associated with the construction of large molecules such as glucose. The process of photosynthesis occurs in two steps: light reactions and the Calvin cycle. The light reactions of photosynthesis take place in the thylakoid membrane and use the energy from the sun to produce ATP and NADPH2. The Calvin cycle takes place in the stroma of the chloroplast and consumes ATP and NADPH2 to reduce carbon dioxide to a sugar.
[IMAGE]Carbon dioxide + water Light Energy glucose + oxygen Chlorophyll [IMAGE]6CO2 + 6H20 Light Energy C6 H12 O6 + 6O 2 Chlorophyll Photosynthesis occurs in the leaves of the plant in the palisade layer. Chlorophyll in the cells in the palisade layer absorb light for photosynthesis. The plant releases the oxygen created in photosynthesis back into the air but it uses or stores the glucose for energy, respiration, growth and repair. The leaves and plants are also specially adapted for photosynthesis in their structure and cell alignment. Preliminary Experiment Apparatus * Piece of Elodea Canadensis * Bulb * Voltmeter * Test tube * Beaker * Box *
“Photosynthesis (literally, “synthesis from light”) is a metabolic process by which the energy of sunlight is captured and used to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into carbohydrates (which is represented as a six-carbon sugar, C6H12O6) and oxygen gas (O2)” (BioPortal, n.d., p. 190).
Photosynthetic pigments are essential for life because they allow photosynthesis to occur by capturing sunlight which is then used alongside carbon dioxide and water to form organic compounds such as glucose and oxygen. The pigments allow the conversion of light energy to chemical energy which other organisms can benefit from. Oxygen is utilised by other organisms in aerobic respiration. The different pigments present in the chloroplasts allow a wide variety of wavelengths of light to be absorbed for efficient photosynthesis and provide colours to the plant to attract pollinators.
Chloroplasts in the plant and algae cells of eukaryotes, trap light energy in a green plastid know as chlorophyll and uses it to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. This process is called photosynthesis. Some prokaryotes have complex infoldings of the plasma membrane, such as mesosomes. In this case, chlorophylls and enzymes are embedded to form thylakoids. These photosynthetic membranes are only present in the photosynthetic bacteria of
Photosynthesis is a process in plants that converts light energy into chemical energy, which is stored in bonds of sugar. The process occurs in the chloroplasts, using chlorophyll. Photosynthesis takes place in green leaves. Glucose is made from the raw materials, carbon dioxide, water, light energy and oxygen is given off as a waste product. In these light-dependent reactions, energy is used to split electrons from suitable substances such as water, producing oxygen. In plants, sugars are produced by a later sequence of light-independent reactions called th...
Photosynthesis is a process in which plants and other organisms convert the light energy from the sun or any other source into chemical energy that can be released to fuel an organism’s activities. During this reaction, carbon dioxide and water are converted into glucose and oxygen. This process takes place in leaf cells which contain chloroplasts and the reaction requires light energy from the sun, which is absorbed by a green substance called chlorophyll. The plants absorb the water through their roots from the earth and carbon dioxide through their leaves.
The Effect of Light Intensity on the Rate of Photosynthesis in an Aquatic Plant Introduction The input variable I will be investigating is light, as light is just one of the 4 factors required in the green-plant process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which green-plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, water & chlorophyll to produce their own food source. This process is also affected by the temperature surrounding the plant (the species of plant we experimented with, pond weed, photosynthesised best at around 20 degrees centigrade.) Light, temperature & CO2 are known as limiting factors, and each is as important as the next in photosynthesis. Light is the factor that is linked with chlorophyll, a green pigment stored in chloroplasts found in the palisade cells, in the upper layer of leaves.
Photosynthesis is a key contributor to all living things; photosynthesis provides the oxygen, food, and nutrients that help all living things stay healthy and alive. Photosynthesis converts solar energy into the chemical energy of a carbohydrate. Photosynthetic organisms, including land plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, which are called autotroph...
An Experiment to Investigate the Effect of Light Intensity on the Rate of Photosynthesis. Introduction Photosynthetics take place in the chloroplasts of green plant cells. It can produce simple sugars using carbon dioxide and water causing the release of sugar and oxygen. The chemical equation of photosynthesis is: [ IMAGE ] 6CO 2 + 6H20 C 6 H12 O 6 + 6O2 It has been proven many times that plants need light to be able to photosynthesize, so you can say that without light the plant would neither photosynthesize nor survive.
However, when plants get hit with sunlight, they utilize it. Through a process called photosynthesis, plants use light energy to make sugars and carbohydrates. Photosynthesis begins in organic molecules called pigments, which are found in plant cells’ chloroplasts. A pigment is a chemical compound that reflects certain wavelengths, which make it colorful. However, an ability more important to reflect light is to absorb certain wavelengths. Pigments are used by autotrophs, which are anything that relies solely on photosynthesis to make their own food. According to UCMP Berkeley, Pigments react within a narrow range of the visible spectrum, which makes different pigments different colors, and plants need to produce multiple types of pigments in order to absorb all the light possible. There are a few classes of pigments, but chlorophyll, carotenoids, and phycobilins are probably the most common. There are five types of chlorophylls, chlorophyll a and b being the most important. Chlorophylls are greenish molecules that contain a ring shaped stable molecule, called a porphyrin ring, which makes electrons freely move. If they move freely the ring can gain or lose electrons, and then other molecules can be provided with energized electrons. This process is how chlorophyll captures light. Another type of pigment, Carotenoids, are red, yellow, or orange colored pigments. They include the compound carotene, which is where carrots get their color. Carotenoids pass their absorbed energy to chlorophyll because they cannot directly transfer sunlight energy into the photosynthetic pathway; and because of this, they are called accessory pigments. They also play a big role in getting rid of excess light, because a big amount of sunlight often kills pigments and other photosynthetic machinery, making the plants bleach.