Photosynth

Notes

Photosynthesis CO2 + H 2 O + Sunlight C 6 H 12 O6 + O 2 Laws of Thermodynamics 1. Energy can be converted from one form to another, but CANNOT be created or destroyed 2. When converted, some energy is changed to heat. ● Example: ⚪ Food broken down to make ATP ⚪ Heat generated THE SUN: MAIN SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR LIFE ON EARTH Living things use energy to: ⚪ Digest food ⚪ Build proteins ⚪ Reproduce • Almost all plants, some bacteria and some protists are photosynthetic autotrophs • Autotrophs generate their own organic matter through photosynthesis (a) Mosses, ferns, and flowering plants (b) Kel p (c) Euglen a (d) Cyanobacte ria THE BASICS OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS Light Energy Harvested by Plants & Other Photosynthetic Autotrophs 6 CO 2 + 6 H 2 O + light energy → C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6 O 2 Photosynthesis - single most important chemical process in the world!! ⚪ WHY? 1. Link between nonliving and living 2. Nourishes plants 3. Plants nourish us • Different wavelengths of visible light are seen by the human eye as different colors. • Colors absorbed are not REFLECTED!! Visible Light Spectrum ⚪ Chloroplasts absorb light energy and convert it to chemical energy Ligh t Reflect ed light Absorbe d light Tr...