The Process of Photosynthesis

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Photosynthesis Noun

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[foh-toh-sin-thuh-sis]

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Photosynthesis

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The process used by plants and other autotrophs to convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars.

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Example: This diagram shows a plant using energy from sunlight, water from the soil, and carbon dioxide from the air to create its food (glucose) and release oxygen.

Front

Chloroplast Noun

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[klor-uh-plast]

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Chloroplast

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An organelle found in plant cells and other eukaryotic autotrophs that is the primary site of photosynthesis.

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Example: This diagram shows a chloroplast inside a plant leaf and labels its key parts, like the thylakoid and stroma, where photosynthesis happens.

Front

Thylakoid Noun

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[thy-luh-koid]

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Thylakoid

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Saclike photosynthetic membranes found inside chloroplasts where the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis take place.

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Example: This diagram shows a thylakoid, a disc-shaped structure, located inside a chloroplast. It also shows that thylakoids stack together to form a granum.

Front

Chlorophyll Noun

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[klor-uh-fil]

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Chlorophyll

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The principal green pigment found in plants that absorbs light energy used to carry out the process of photosynthesis.

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Example: This diagram shows that chlorophyll, the green pigment in leaves, captures energy from sunlight and helps convert it into chemical energy for the plant.

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Pigment Noun

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[pig-muhnt]

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Pigment

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A light-absorbing molecule used by plants and other photosynthetic organisms to capture energy from sunlight for photosynthesis.

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Example: This image shows that pigments are molecules that give color to plant leaves, like green chlorophyll (for photosynthesis), yellow carotene, and red anthocyanins.

Front

Photosystem Noun

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[foh-toh-sis-tuhm]

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Photosystem

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A cluster of chlorophyll and proteins found in thylakoids that absorbs sunlight and generates high-energy electrons for photosynthesis.

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Example: This diagram shows that photosystems are protein complexes, like Photosystem I and II, located within the thylakoid membranes inside a plant cell's chloroplast.

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Electron Transport Chain Noun

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[ih-lek-tron trans-port cheyn]

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Electron Transport Chain

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A series of electron carrier proteins that shuttle high-energy electrons during the ATP-generating reactions of photosynthesis.

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Example: This diagram shows how excited electrons (e-) travel along a chain of proteins in a membrane, which powers the creation of ATP, the cell's energy currency.

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ATP Noun

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[ey-tee-pee]

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ATP

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Adenosine triphosphate, a principal chemical compound that cells use to store and release energy for metabolic processes.

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Example: This diagram shows that an ATP molecule is made of three parts: an adenine group, a ribose sugar, and a chain of three phosphate groups.

Front

NADPH Noun

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[en-ey-dee-pee-eych]

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NADPH

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An electron carrier molecule that transfers high-energy electrons from chlorophyll to other molecules during photosynthesis.

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Example: This diagram shows NADPH is an energy-carrying molecule, created during the light reactions and then used to power the Calvin cycle to make sugar.

Front

Stroma Noun

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[stroh-muh]

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Stroma

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The fluid-filled space outside the thylakoid membranes in a chloroplast where the Calvin cycle reactions take place.

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Example: This diagram shows a chloroplast's internal structure, with a label pointing to the stroma, the fluid-filled space where key photosynthesis reactions happen.