Post on 28-Dec-2015
BIO 2, Lecture 14BIO 2, Lecture 14BIO 2, Lecture 14BIO 2, Lecture 14FIGHTING ENTROPY III:FIGHTING ENTROPY III:
PHOTOSYNTHESISPHOTOSYNTHESIS
• Autotrophs sustain themselves without eating anything derived from other organisms
• Autotrophs are the producers of the biosphere, producing organic molecules from CO2 and other inorganic molecules
• Almost all plants are photoautotrophs, using the energy of sunlight to make complex organic molecules from H2O and CO2
• Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, certain other protists, and some prokaryotes
• These organisms feed not only themselves but also most of the living world
(a) Plants
(c) Unicellular protist10 µm
1.5 µm
40 µm(d) Cyanobacteria
(e) Purple sulfur bacteria
(b) Multicellular alga
• Heterotrophs obtain their organic material from other organisms
• Heterotrophs are the consumers of the biosphere
• Almost all heterotrophs, including humans, depend on photoautotrophs for food and O2
• In plants, the work of photosynthesis is done by organelles called chloroplasts
• Chloroplasts are structurally similar to and likely evolved from photosynthetic bacteria
• In plants, leaves are the major locations of photosynthesis
• Their green color is from chlorophyll, the green pigment within chloroplasts
• Light energy absorbed by chlorophyll drives the synthesis of organic molecules in the chloroplast
• CO2 enters and O2 exits the leaf through microscopic pores called stomata
• Chloroplasts are found mainly in cells of the mesophyll, an interior tissue of the leaf• A typical mesophyll cell has 30–40
chloroplasts
• The chlorophyll is in the membranes of thylakoids (connected sacs in the chloroplast); thylakoids may be stacked in columns called grana
• Chloroplasts also contain stroma, a dense fluid
5 µm
Mesophyll cell
StomataCO2 O2
Chloroplast
Mesophyll
Vein
Leaf cross section
1 µm
Thylakoidspace
Chloroplast
GranumIntermembranespace
Innermembrane
Outermembrane
Stroma
Thylakoid
• Photosynthesis can be summarized as the following equation:
6 CO2 + 12 H2O + Light energy C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O
• Chloroplasts split H2O into hydrogen and oxygen, incorporating the electrons of hydrogen into sugar molecules
• Photosynthesis is a redox process in which H2O is oxidized (to O2) and CO2 is reduced (to C6H12O6)
Reactants: 6 CO2
Products:
12 H2O
6 O26 H2OC6H12O6
Reduced CO2
Oxidized H2O
Photosynthesis consists of two parts:
1.“Photo” part = light-dependent reactions• Require light; only occur in the daytime
2.“Synthesis” (of sugar) part = light independent reactions• Also called the Calvin cycle• Occur both in the daytime and at
night• Plant switches most energy to
Calvin Cycle at night
• The light reactions– Occur in the thylakoid membrane and
thylakoid space (inside the thylakoid)– Split H2O into H+ and O2 (gas)
– Reduce NADP+ to NADPH– Generate ATP from ADP and Pi
• The Calvin cycle • Occurs in the stroma
• Forms sugar from CO2, using the ATP and NADPH generated in the light reactions
• Begins with carbon fixation, incorporating CO2 into organic molecules
Light
H2O
Chloroplast
LightReactions
NADP+
P
ADP
i+
ATP
NADPH
O2
CalvinCycle
CO2
[CH2O](sugar)
“Dark” (light-independent)
reactions (occur in the presence and absence of light)
• Light is a form of electromagnetic energy, also called electromagnetic radiation
• Like other electromagnetic energy, light travels in rhythmic waves
• Wavelength is the distance between crests of waves• Wavelength determines the type of
electromagnetic energy• Shorter wavelength = higher energy
• The electromagnetic spectrum is the entire range of electromagnetic energy, or radiation
• Visible light consists of wavelengths (including those that drive photo-synthesis) that produce colors we can see
• Light also behaves as though it consists of discrete particles, called photons
UV
Visible light
InfraredMicro-waves
RadiowavesX-raysGamma
rays
103 m1 m
(109 nm)106 nm103 nm1 nm10–3 nm10–5 nm
380 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 nm
Longer wavelengthLower energyHigher energy
Shorter wavelength
• Pigments are substances that absorb visible light• Different pigments absorb different
wavelengths
• Wavelengths that are not absorbed are reflected back (and seen by observers)• Leaves appear green because chlorophyll
reflects green light back to our eyes • It is actually the combined wavelengths
not absorbed by chlorophyll that collectively appear green
Reflectedlight
Absorbedlight
Light
Chloroplast
Transmittedlight
Granum
• Chlorophyll a is the main photosynthetic pigment
• Accessory pigments, such as chlorophyll b, broaden the spectrum used for photosynthesis
• Accessory pigments called carotenoids absorb excessive light that would damage chlorophyll
• When a pigment absorbs light, it goes from a ground state to an excited state, which is unstable
• When excited electrons fall back to the ground state, photons are given off, an afterglow called fluorescence
• If illuminated, an isolated solution of chlorophyll will fluoresce, giving off light and heat
(a) Excitation of isolated chlorophyll molecule
Heat
Excitedstate
(b) Fluorescence
Photon Groundstate
Photon(fluorescence)
En
erg
y o
f ele
ctr
on e–
Chlorophyllmolecule
• Photosynthesis begins at photosystems located in the thylakoid membrane
• A photosystem consists of a reaction-center complex (comprised of several proteins) surrounded by light-harvesting complexes
• The light-harvesting complexes (pigment molecules bound to proteins) funnel the energy of photons to the reaction center
• There are two types of photosystems in the thylakoid membrane:
• Photosystem II (PS II) functions first (the numbers reflect order of discovery) and is best at absorbing a wavelength of 680 nm
• Photosystem I (PS I) functions second and is best at absorbing a wavelength of 700 nm
• At the beginning of photosynthesis, a primary electron acceptor in the reaction center of Photosystem II accepts an electron from chlorophyll a that has been excited by a photon
• Solar-powered transfer of an electron from a chlorophyll a molecule to the primary electron acceptor is the first step of the light reactions
• The chlorophyll molecule that is now missing an electron is a very strong oxidizing agent
• It grabs an electron from H2O (in the thylakoid space) and is reduced
• O2 is released as a by-product of this splitting of H2O
• H+ is also formed, which begins to build up in the thylakoid space (sound familiar?)
• The electron “falls” down an electron transport chain from the primary electron acceptor of PS II to PS I
• Energy released by the fall is used by proteins in the electron transport chain to drive H+ ions from the stroma into the inner space of the thylakoid
• Thus, there are two sources of build-up of H+ ions in the inner space: from the splitting of water and from the electron transport chain
• ATP synthase, embedded in the thylakoid membrane, coverts ADP + Pi to ATP using the energy generated by the rush of the H+ ions in the inner compartment out into the stroma (with their concentration gradient)
• Meanwhile, the electrons passing through the electron transport chain of Photo-system II are eventually dumped off at Photosystem I• When photons hit chlorophyll molecules in
Photosystem I, electrons are kicked off chlorophyll to a second electron transport chain
• Chlorophyll molecules in Photosystem I (now strong oxidixing agents) grab electrons dumped dumped off from Photosystem II to return to their reduced state
• Water is not split at Photosystem I
• Electrons excited by photons at Photosystem I “fall” down a second electron transport chain and are eventually dumped onto NADP+, reducing it to NADPH
• The electrons of NADPH are available for the reactions of the Calvin cycle (that drive the endergonic reactions that create sugar and starch)
• ATP produced through the proton motive force are also used in the Calvin Cycle
Millmakes
ATP
e–
NADPH
Ph
oto
n
e–
e–
e–
e–
e–
Ph
oto
n
ATP
Photosystem II Photosystem I
e–
Light
Fd
Cytochromecomplex
ADP +
i H+
ATPP
ATPsynthase
ToCalvinCycle
STROMA(low H+ concentration)
Thylakoidmembrane
THYLAKOID SPACE(high H+ concentration)
STROMA(low H+ concentration)
Photosystem II Photosystem I
4 H+
4 H+
Pq
Pc
LightNADP+
reductase
NADP+ + H+
NADPH
+2 H+
H2OO2
e–
e–
1/21
2
3
• Chloroplasts and mitochondria generate ATP by chemiosmosis, but use different sources of energy
• Mitochondria transfer chemical energy from food to ATP; chloroplasts transform light energy into the chemical energy of ATP, which is used to produce food
• Spatial organization of chemiosmosis differs between chloroplasts and mitochondria but also shows similarities
• In mitochondria, protons are pumped out of the inner space (matrix) and into the intermembrane space• ATP synthesis occurs as they diffuse back
into the mitochondrial matrix
• In chloroplasts, protons are pumped into the inner thylakoid space and out of the stroma• ATP synthesis occurs as they diffuse back
out of the inner thylakoid space (into the stroma)
Key
Mitochondrion Chloroplast
CHLOROPLASTSTRUCTURE
MITOCHONDRIONSTRUCTURE
Intermembranespace
Innermembrane
Electrontransport
chain
H+ Diffusion
Matrix
Higher [H+]Lower [H+]
Stroma
ATPsynthase
ADP + Pi
H+ATP
Thylakoidspace
Thylakoidmembrane
• The Calvin cycle, like the citric acid cycle, regenerates its starting material after molecules enter and leave the cycle
• The cycle builds sugar from smaller molecules by using ATP and the reducing power of electrons carried by NADPH• The ATP and NADPH come from the light-
dependent reactions
• Carbon enters the cycle as CO2 and leaves as a sugar named glyceraldehyde-3-phospate (G3P)
• For net synthesis of 1 G3P, the cycle must take place three times, fixing 3 molecules of CO2
• The Calvin cycle has three phases:– Carbon fixation (catalyzed by rubisco)– Reduction– Regeneration of the CO2 acceptor
(RuBP)
Ribulose bisphosphate(RuBP)
3-Phosphoglycerate
Short-livedintermediate
Phase 1: Carbon fixation
(Entering oneat a time)
Rubisco
Input
CO2
P
3 6
3
3
P
PPP
Ribulose bisphosphate(RuBP)
3-Phosphoglycerate
Short-livedintermediate
Phase 1: Carbon fixation
(Entering oneat a time)
Rubisco
Input CO2
P
3 6
3
3
P
PPP
ATP6
6 ADP
P P61,3-Bisphosphoglycerate
6
P
P6
66 NADP+
NADPH
i
Phase 2:Reduction
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate(G3P)
1 POutput G3P
(a sugar)
Glucose andother organiccompounds
CalvinCycle
Ribulose bisphosphate(RuBP)
3-Phosphoglycerate
Short-livedintermediate
Phase 1: Carbon fixation
(Entering oneat a time)
Rubisco
Input CO2
P
3 6
3
3
P
PPP
ATP6
6 ADP
P P61,3-Bisphosphoglycerate
6
P
P6
66 NADP+
NADPH
i
Phase 2:Reduction
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate(G3P)
1 POutput G3P
(a sugar)
Glucose andother organiccompounds
CalvinCycle
3
3 ADP
ATP
5 P
Phase 3:Regeneration ofthe CO2 acceptor(RuBP)
G3P
LightReactions:
Photosystem II Electron transport chain
Photosystem I Electron transport chain
CO2
NADP+
ADPP i+
RuBP 3-PhosphoglycerateCalvinCycle
G3PATP
NADPHStarch(storage)
Sucrose (export)
Chloroplast
Light
H2O
O2