Unit 10: Biological Molecules and Metabolic Pathways
C: Explore the factors that can affect the pathways and the rate of photosynthesis in plants
Assignment title : Photosynthesis in Plants
Photosynthesis: The process of turning light energy into chemical energy is known as photosynthesis,
and it is used by green plants and some other species. Green plants employ light energy during
photosynthesis to transform water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen- and energy-rich organic
molecules. It is impossible to overstate the role that photosynthesis plays in keeping life on Earth alive.
There won't be much food or other organic materials remaining on Earth if photosynthesis stops. The
majority of life on Earth will go extinct, and the amount of gaseous oxygen in the atmosphere will
decline. Only chemosynthetic bacteria that can capture the chemical energy of specific inorganic
chemicals and are not reliant on the conversion of light energy can survive in such an environment.
During photosynthesis, plants take up water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from the soil and
environment. Water is oxidised in plant cells, losing electrons, while carbon
dioxide is reduced, gaining electrons. Carbon dioxide is used to make
glucose, which is then changed into oxygen from water. After storing
energy in the form of glucose molecules, plants release oxygen back into
the atmosphere. The chemistry behind photosynthesis is as follows:
6CO2+6H2O→C6H12O6+6O2. Typically, photosynthesis occurs in the several
cell layers that make up a plant's leaf. The intermediate layer known as the
mesophyll is where photosynthesis occurs. Additionally, it aids in
maintaining the plant's water balance by allowing carbon dioxide and
oxygen to pass through the stomata (plural). The presence of stomata on https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/courses-
the underside of leaves minimises water loss. Guard cells surround each images/wp-content/uploads/sites/
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stoma, controlling how it opens, expands, and contracts in response to d.png
osmotic pressure variations.
A chloroplast, an organelle, is where photosynthesis is carried out by all
autotrophic eukaryotes. Plant mesophyll may have cells that contain
chloroplasts. The outer and inner membranes make up the double-
membrane envelope that protects the chloroplast. Thylakoids, or disc-shaped
structures, are piled inside the bilayer. Chlorophyll, a pigment found in
thylakoid membranes, absorbs sun radiation and specific visible spectrum
wavelengths. Chlorophyll, which gives plants their green colour, also
facilitates the many proteins that make up the electron transport chain in https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/courses-
addition to the first contact of light with plant tissue. The thylakoid lumen is images/wp-content/uploads/sites/
1950/2017/05/31183534/figure-08-01-05.png
surrounded by a thylakoid membrane. The most popular photosynthetic
pigment is chlorophyll. It is mostly engaged in the process of oxygen
photosynthesis, which produces oxygen as a significant by-product. This kind of chlorophyll is present in
the majority of microbes and all plants. For photosynthetic cells to absorb a wider range of wavelengths
of light, chlorophyll b is utilised to balance the absorption spectrum with chlorophyll. Not all organisms
capable of photosynthesis can produce chlorophyll b, although plants can absorb the majority of the
light in the blue to red spectrum when both types of chlorophyll are present. As photoreceptors,
chlorophylls a and b may both absorb and transmit light to the parts of the plant where photosynthesis
