Available under Creative Commons-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
absorption spectrum | the specific pattern of absorption for a substance that absorbs electromagnetic radiation |
autotroph | an organism capable of producing its own food |
Calvin cycle | the reactions of photosynthesis that use the energy stored by the light-dependent reactions to form glucose and other carbohydrate molecules |
carbon fixation | the process of converting inorganic CO2 gas into organic compounds |
chlorophyll a | the form of chlorophyll that absorbs violet-blue and red light |
chlorophyll b | the form of chlorophyll that absorbs blue and red-orange light |
chlorophyll | the green pigment that captures the light energy that drives the reactions of photosynthesis |
chloroplast | the organelle where photosynthesis takes place |
electromagnetic spectrum | the range of all possible frequencies of radiation |
granum | a stack of thylakoids located inside a chloroplast |
heterotroph | an organism that consumes other organisms for food |
light-dependent reaction | the first stage of photosynthesis where visible light is absorbed to form two energy-carrying molecules (ATP and NADPH) |
mesophyll | the middle layer of cells in a leaf |
photoautotroph | an organism capable of synthesizing its own food molecules (storing energy), using the energy of light |
photon | a distinct quantity or “packet” of light energy |
photosystem | a group of proteins, chlorophyll, and other pigments that are used in the lightdependent reactions of photosynthesis to absorb light energy and convert it into chemical energy |
pigment | a molecule that is capable of absorbing light energy |
stoma | the opening that regulates gas exchange and water regulation between leaves and the environment; plural: stomata |
stroma | the fluid-filled space surrounding the grana inside a chloroplast where the Calvin cycle reactions of photosynthesis take place |
thylakoid | a disc-shaped membranous structure inside a chloroplast where the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis take place using chlorophyll embedded in the membranes |
wavelength | the distance between consecutive points of a wave |
- 2427 reads