Term | Definition |
photosynthesis | 6CO2 + 6H2O + light --> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy. |
chloroplast | An organelle found in plant and algae cells where photosynthesis occurs |
chlorophyll | Green pigment in plants that absorbs light energy used to carry out photosynthesis |
light dependent reaction | the process in which water, ADP, and NADP+ uses light energy to make oxygen, ATP, and NADPH |
Calvin cycle (light independent reaction) | Set of reactions in photosynthesis that do not require light; energy from ATP and NADPH us used to build high-energy compounds such as sugar; also called the Calvin Cycle |
stroma | The fluid of the chloroplast surrounding the thylakoid membrane; involved in the synthesis of organic molecules from carbon dioxide and water. |
autotroph | An organism that makes its own food |
heterotroph | An organism that cannot make its own food. |
thylakoid | A flattened membrane sac inside the chloroplast, used to convert light energy into chemical energy. |
grana | stacks of thylakoids |
pigment | A colored chemical compound that absorbs light, producing color. |
guard cells | control the opening and closing of stomata |
stomata | A microscopic pore surrounded by guard cells in the epidermis of leaves and stems that allows gas exchange between the environment and the interior of the plant. |
metabolism | All of the chemical reactions that occur within an organism |
cellular respiration | the metabolic processes whereby certain organisms obtain energy from organic moelcules |
carbon fixation | the synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide, such as in photosynthesis |