what is sinhala meaning of photosynthesis

photosynthesis

Sinhala dictionary definitions for photosynthesis.

photosynthesis 🔊 /fowˌtowsɪˈnθʌsɪs/

photosynthesis : ප්‍රභාසංශ්ලේෂණය

photosynthesis : ප්‍රභා සංශ්ලේෂණය

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Translation of "photosynthesis" into Sinhala

ප්රභාසංශ්ලේෂණය is the translation of "photosynthesis" into Sinhala. Sample translated sentence: Researchers Allen Milligan and Francois Morel, of Princeton University, U.S.A., have found that silica in the diatom’s glass shell causes chemical changes in the water inside it, creating an ideal environment for photosynthesis. ↔ ඩයටමයෙහි වීදුරු වැස්මේ ඇති සිලිකා මගින් එහි ඇතුළත ඇති ජලය කෙරෙහි යම් රසායනික විපර්යාසයක් සිදු කරන බවත් මෙම විපර්යාසය නිසා ප්රභාසංශ්ලේෂණ ක්රියාවලිය සිදු කිරීමට හොඳ පරිසරයක් එතුළ ඇති වන බවත් එක්සත් ජනපදයේ ප්රින්ස්ටන් විශ්වවිද්යාලයේ පර්යේෂකයන් වන ඇලන් මිලිගන් සහ ෆන්සුවා මොරෙල් සොයාගෙන තිබෙනවා.

(biology) The process by which plants and other photoautotrophs generate carbohydrates and oxygen from carbon dioxide, water, and light energy in chloroplasts. [..]

English-Sinhala dictionary

ප්රභාසංශ්ලේෂණය.

biological process [..]

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Automatic translations of " photosynthesis " into Sinhala

Translations of "photosynthesis" into sinhala in sentences, translation memory.

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Search this blog, විශ්වයේ විශ්මිත ක්‍රියාවලියක් වූ ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණය ක්‍රියාවලිය - an amazing process in the universe, photosynthesis.

(*This article is available in both Sinhala and English languages. Please scroll down to read in Sinhala.)

What is this photosynthesis (introduction) .....?

The process of producing glucose using carbon dioxide and water, in the plant's cells when exposed to sunlight is called photosynthesis.

In fact, the process of photosynthesis can be compared to a process in a factory. How can that be?

• Factory: Tree leave
• Machines: Chloroplasts
• Energy: Sunlight
• Ingredients: carbon dioxide gas and water
• Main product: food (glucose)
• Byproducts : oxygen gas

   Although it is not as large as a real factory, the process here is extremely complex and surprising.

What happens in photosynthesis?

The following factors are essential for photosynthesis.

Internal factors: chloroplasts External factors: sunlight, carbon dioxide gas and water

Carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen

6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂

The process of photosynthesis

Most plants are exposed to sunlight. Through the solar energy absorbed from sunlight,  chloroplasts become  active and they turn carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapor, which is absorbed from the atmosphere, into glucose and oxygen gas ( O₂ ).

The oxygen produced here (O₂) is released directly into the environment.

(This is how plants purify the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a poisonous gas we release in exhale, but the plants absorb that carbon dioxide and release it as clean, breathable oxygen gas (O₂) into the environment. Consider for yourself, how much percentage of impure carbon dioxide increases when  a single tree is cut down )

The main result of photosynthesis is glucose (C ₆ H₁₂O₆). Since it can be used to gain energy, the plant leaves also utilize the glucose produced by it to create energy and maintain function.

But the excess glucose produced by the plant is turned into starch and stored temporarily inside the leaf.

Starch (C₆H₁₀O₅) ₓ is a compound made up of several glucose molecules.

x C₆H₁₂O₆ → (C₆H₁₀O₅) ₓ + x H₂O {x is a positive integer} .

At easy times, the starch is broken down into small sucrose molecules, which are taken out of the leaf and placed in different places in the plant. (Ex: Deposits in roots - Sweet potatoes)

Sucrose: C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁

2 C₆H₁₂O₆ → C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ + H₂O {x is a positive integer}.

Uses of photosynthesis

--------------------------------------, මොකක්ද මේ ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණය (හැඳින්වීම)......

සූර්යාලෝකය ඇති විට ශාක සෛලවල හරිතලව නම් දේහ තුළ කාබන්ඩයොක්සයිඩ් වායුව හා ජලය උපයෝගී කරගන ආහාර (ග්ලූකෝස්) නිෂ්පාදනය කිරීමේ ක්‍රියාවලිය ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණය ලෙස හඳුන්වයි.

ඇත්තෙන්ම ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණ ක්‍රියාවලිය කර්මාන්ත ශාලාවක සිදුවන  ක්‍රියාවලියකට අනුරූප කළ හැකිය. ඒ කෙසේදැයි දැන් විමසා බලමු.

කර්මාන්තශාලාව    :     ශාකපත්‍රය යන්ත්‍ර                          :     හරිතල‍ව ශක්තිය                       :     සූර්යාලෝකය අමුද්‍රව්‍ය                       :      කාබන්ඩයොක්සයිඩ් වායුව හා ජලය ප්‍රධාන ඵලය              :      ආහාර (ග්ලූකෝස්) අතුරුඵල                    :     ඔක්සිජන් වායුව   

   සැබෑ  කර්මාන්ත ශාලාවක් මෙන් විශාල නොවූව ද මෙහි සිදුවන  ක්‍රියාවලිය අතිශය සංකීර්ණ හා පුදුම සහගත වේ .

ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණයේ දී මොකද වෙන්නේ...?

ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණය සිදුවීමට පහත සාධක අත්‍යවශ්‍ය වේ.

• අභ්‍යන්තර සාධක : හරිතලව
• බාහිර සාධක :  සූර්යාලෝකය, කාබන්ඩයොක්සයිඩ් වායුව හා ජලය

  ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණය වචන සමීකරණයක් ලෙස පහත ආකාරයට ඉදිරිපත් කළ හැකිය.

ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණ ක්‍රියාවලිය

අවට පරිසරයේ බොහෝ ශාක හිරුඑළියට නිරාවරණය වී පවතී.ඒවා ශාක පත්‍ර හරහා සූර්යාලෝකය අවශෝෂණය කරගන්නා අතර එම  සූර්යාලෝක ශක්තියෙන් ක්‍රියාකාරී වන හරිතලව විසින් වායුගෝලයෙන් උරාගන්නා  කාබන්ඩයොක්සයිඩ් වායුව ( CO₂) හා  ජලවාෂ්ප ප්‍රතික්‍රියා  කරවා  ග්ලූකෝස් හා    ඔක්සිජන් වායුව ( O ₂)   බවට බිඳහෙළයි. 

මෙහි දී නිපදවන  ඔක්සිජන් වායුව   ( O ₂) ඍජුවම පරිසරයට මුදාහරියි.

(ශාක විසින් ව‍‍ායු‍ගෝලය පවිත්‍ර කරන්‍නේ ‍මේ ආකාරය‍ටයි. කාබන්ඩ‍යොක්සයිඩ් යනු අප විසින් ප්‍රාස්වාස‍යේදී පිටකරන විෂ සහිත වායුවකි. නමුත් ශාක විසින් එම  කාබන්ඩ‍යොක්සයිඩ් උරා‍ගෙන පිරිසිදු, ආශ්වාසයට සුදුසු  ඔක්සිජන් වායුව   (O₂) පරිසරයට මුදා හරියි . එක ගසක් කැපී‍මෙන් ‍කෙතරම්, අපිරිසිදු  කාබන්ඩ‍යොක්සයිඩ් ප්‍රතිශතයක් ඉහළ යනවා ද යන්න ඔබම ‍සිතා බලන්න.)

ප්‍රභාසංස්ලේෂණ‍යේ දී ලැ‍බෙන ප්‍රධාන ඵලය ග්ලූ‍කෝස්ය ( C₆H₁₂O ₆) . ග්ලූ‍කෝස් ශක්තිය ලබාගැනීමට භාවිතා කළ හැකි බැවින් ශාක පත්‍ර ද තමා විසින් නිපදවන  ග්ලූ‍කෝස්, ‍‍සෛල තුළ ශක්තිය උපදවා ගනිමින් ක්‍රියාකාරිත්වය පවත්වා ගැනීමට ප්‍ර‍යෝජනයට ගනියි. 

නමුත් ‍මෙහි දී වැඩිපුර නිපදවන  ග්ලූ‍කෝස් ශාක පත්‍රය විසින් පිෂ්ටය බවට පත්කර තාවකාලිකව පත්‍රය තුළ ම ගබඩා කර තබා ගනියි.

පිෂ්ටය (C₆H ₁₀ O ₅) ₓ  යනු  ග්ලූ‍කෝස් අණු කීපයක් එකතු වී‍මෙන් සෑ‍දෙන සං‍යෝගයකි. 

x C₆H₁ ₂ O ₆  →  (C ₆ H ₁₀ O ₅) ₓ   +  x H ₂ O      {x ධන පූර්ණ සංඛ්‍යාවකි.}  

පහසු ‍වෙලාවන්හි දී එම පිෂ්ටය කුඩා සු‍ක්‍රෝස් අණු බව‍‍ට බිඳ ‍හෙළා පත්‍ර තුළින් පිටතට ‍ගෙන ‍ගොස් ශාක‍යේ විවිධ ස්ථානවල තැන්පත් කිරීිම සිදුකරයි. (නිද: මුල් වල තැන්පත් කිරීම - බතල ) 

සු‍‍ක්‍රෝස් :  C ₁₂ H ₂₂ O ₁₁    2 C₆H₁ ₂ O ₆   →   C ₁₂ H ₂₂ O ₁₁    +   H ₂ O     {x ධන පූර්ණ සංඛ්‍යාවකි.}

‍ ප්‍රභාසංස්‍ලේෂණ ක්‍රියාවලියේ ප්‍රයෝජන

විශ්වයේ ජීවත් වන සියලු ම ජීවීන්ට තම ආහාර අවශ්‍යතාවය සපුරා ගැනීමටත්, වායුගෝලීය කාබන්ඩයොක්සයිඩ් ප්‍රතිශතය අවම මට්ටමක තබා ගැනීමටත්, ආශ්වාසයට වැදගත් වන ඔක්සිජන් නිෂ්පාදනයටත්   ප්‍රභාසංස්‍ලේෂණ    කෙතරම් වැදගත් දැයි ඔබට පෙනෙනවා ඇති. සැබැවින් ම පෘථිවියේ ජීවය පවත්වා ගැනීමට හා ජෛව ගෝලයේ සමතුලිතතාවය සුරක්ෂිත කිරීමට  ප්‍රභාසංස්‍ලේෂණ   අත්‍යවශ්‍ය වේ.

හොඳයි.  ප්‍රභාසංස්‍ලේෂණය පිළිබඳව වැදගත් වන කරුණු බොහෝ සාකච්ඡා කෙරුණු බව මා හිතනවා. මෙම ලිපිය සම්බන්ධ ඔබගේ ගැටලු, අදහස් හා චෝදනා පහතින් ඉදිරිපත් කරන ලෙස ඉල්ලා සිටිමින් මම මෙම ලිපිය නිමාකරනවා.

ස්තූතියි .                                                                  

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• English to Sinhala

Photosynthesis meaning in Sinhala

Photosynthesis meaning in Sinhala. Here you learn English to Sinhala translation / English to Sinhala dictionary of the word ' Photosynthesis ' and also play quiz in Sinhala words starting with P also play A-Z dictionary quiz . To learn Sinhala language , common vocabulary and grammar are the important sections. Common Vocabulary contains common words that we can used in daily life. This way to learn Sinhala language quickly and learn daily use sentences helps to improve your Sinhala language. If you think too hard to learn Sinhala language, 1000 words will helps to learn Sinhala language easily, they contain 2-letter words to 13-letter words. Below you see how to say Photosynthesis in Sinhala.

How to say 'Photosynthesis' in Sinhala

ප්රභාසංස්ලේෂණය prabhāsaṁslēṣaṇaya

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English - Sinhala Dictionary

• relating to or using or formed by photosynthesis

Sinhala Meaning of Photosynthesis

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Development of the idea

Overall reaction of photosynthesis.

• Basic products of photosynthesis
• Evolution of the process
• Light intensity and temperature
• Carbon dioxide
• Internal factors
• Energy efficiency of photosynthesis
• Structural features
• Light absorption and energy transfer
• The pathway of electrons
• Evidence of two light reactions
• Photosystems I and II
• Quantum requirements
• The process of photosynthesis: the conversion of light energy to ATP
• Elucidation of the carbon pathway
• Carboxylation
• Isomerization/condensation/dismutation
• Phosphorylation
• Regulation of the cycle
• Products of carbon reduction
• Photorespiration
• Carbon fixation in C 4 plants
• Carbon fixation via crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)
• Differences in carbon fixation pathways
• The molecular biology of photosynthesis

Why is photosynthesis important?

What is the basic formula for photosynthesis, which organisms can photosynthesize.

photosynthesis

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• Khan Academy - Photosynthesis
• Biology LibreTexts - Photosynthesis
• University of Florida - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences - Photosynthesis
• Milne Library - Inanimate Life - Photosynthesis
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - Chloroplasts and Photosynthesis
• Roger Williams University Pressbooks - Introduction to Molecular and Cell Biology - Photosynthesis
• Nature - Photosynthetic Cells
• photosynthesis - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• photosynthesis - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

Photosynthesis is critical for the existence of the vast majority of life on Earth. It is the way in which virtually all energy in the biosphere becomes available to living things. As primary producers, photosynthetic organisms form the base of Earth’s food webs and are consumed directly or indirectly by all higher life-forms. Additionally, almost all the oxygen in the atmosphere is due to the process of photosynthesis. If photosynthesis ceased, there would soon be little food or other organic matter on Earth, most organisms would disappear, and Earth’s atmosphere would eventually become nearly devoid of gaseous oxygen.

The process of photosynthesis is commonly written as: 6CO 2 + 6H 2 O → C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 . This means that the reactants, six carbon dioxide molecules and six water molecules, are converted by light energy captured by chlorophyll (implied by the arrow) into a sugar molecule and six oxygen molecules, the products. The sugar is used by the organism, and the oxygen is released as a by-product.

The ability to photosynthesize is found in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. The most well-known examples are plants, as all but a very few parasitic or mycoheterotrophic species contain chlorophyll and produce their own food. Algae are the other dominant group of eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms. All algae, which include massive kelps and microscopic diatoms , are important primary producers.  Cyanobacteria and certain sulfur bacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes, in whom photosynthesis evolved. No animals are thought to be independently capable of photosynthesis, though the emerald green sea slug can temporarily incorporate algae chloroplasts in its body for food production.

Trusted Britannica articles, summarized using artificial intelligence, to provide a quicker and simpler reading experience. This is a beta feature. Please verify important information in our full article.

This summary was created from our Britannica article using AI. Please verify important information in our full article.

photosynthesis , the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy . During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water , carbon dioxide , and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds .

It would be impossible to overestimate the importance of photosynthesis in the maintenance of life on Earth . If photosynthesis ceased, there would soon be little food or other organic matter on Earth. Most organisms would disappear, and in time Earth’s atmosphere would become nearly devoid of gaseous oxygen. The only organisms able to exist under such conditions would be the chemosynthetic bacteria , which can utilize the chemical energy of certain inorganic compounds and thus are not dependent on the conversion of light energy.

Energy produced by photosynthesis carried out by plants millions of years ago is responsible for the fossil fuels (i.e., coal , oil , and gas ) that power industrial society . In past ages, green plants and small organisms that fed on plants increased faster than they were consumed, and their remains were deposited in Earth’s crust by sedimentation and other geological processes. There, protected from oxidation , these organic remains were slowly converted to fossil fuels. These fuels not only provide much of the energy used in factories, homes, and transportation but also serve as the raw material for plastics and other synthetic products. Unfortunately, modern civilization is using up in a few centuries the excess of photosynthetic production accumulated over millions of years. Consequently, the carbon dioxide that has been removed from the air to make carbohydrates in photosynthesis over millions of years is being returned at an incredibly rapid rate. The carbon dioxide concentration in Earth’s atmosphere is rising the fastest it ever has in Earth’s history, and this phenomenon is expected to have major implications on Earth’s climate .

Requirements for food, materials, and energy in a world where human population is rapidly growing have created a need to increase both the amount of photosynthesis and the efficiency of converting photosynthetic output into products useful to people. One response to those needs—the so-called Green Revolution , begun in the mid-20th century—achieved enormous improvements in agricultural yield through the use of chemical fertilizers , pest and plant- disease control, plant breeding , and mechanized tilling, harvesting, and crop processing. This effort limited severe famines to a few areas of the world despite rapid population growth , but it did not eliminate widespread malnutrition . Moreover, beginning in the early 1990s, the rate at which yields of major crops increased began to decline. This was especially true for rice in Asia. Rising costs associated with sustaining high rates of agricultural production, which required ever-increasing inputs of fertilizers and pesticides and constant development of new plant varieties, also became problematic for farmers in many countries.

A second agricultural revolution , based on plant genetic engineering , was forecast to lead to increases in plant productivity and thereby partially alleviate malnutrition. Since the 1970s, molecular biologists have possessed the means to alter a plant’s genetic material (deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA ) with the aim of achieving improvements in disease and drought resistance, product yield and quality, frost hardiness, and other desirable properties. However, such traits are inherently complex, and the process of making changes to crop plants through genetic engineering has turned out to be more complicated than anticipated. In the future such genetic engineering may result in improvements in the process of photosynthesis, but by the first decades of the 21st century, it had yet to demonstrate that it could dramatically increase crop yields.

Another intriguing area in the study of photosynthesis has been the discovery that certain animals are able to convert light energy into chemical energy. The emerald green sea slug ( Elysia chlorotica ), for example, acquires genes and chloroplasts from Vaucheria litorea , an alga it consumes, giving it a limited ability to produce chlorophyll . When enough chloroplasts are assimilated , the slug may forgo the ingestion of food. The pea aphid ( Acyrthosiphon pisum ) can harness light to manufacture the energy-rich compound adenosine triphosphate (ATP); this ability has been linked to the aphid’s manufacture of carotenoid pigments.

General characteristics

The study of photosynthesis began in 1771 with observations made by the English clergyman and scientist Joseph Priestley . Priestley had burned a candle in a closed container until the air within the container could no longer support combustion . He then placed a sprig of mint plant in the container and discovered that after several days the mint had produced some substance (later recognized as oxygen) that enabled the confined air to again support combustion. In 1779 the Dutch physician Jan Ingenhousz expanded upon Priestley’s work, showing that the plant had to be exposed to light if the combustible substance (i.e., oxygen) was to be restored. He also demonstrated that this process required the presence of the green tissues of the plant.

In 1782 it was demonstrated that the combustion-supporting gas (oxygen) was formed at the expense of another gas, or “fixed air,” which had been identified the year before as carbon dioxide. Gas-exchange experiments in 1804 showed that the gain in weight of a plant grown in a carefully weighed pot resulted from the uptake of carbon, which came entirely from absorbed carbon dioxide, and water taken up by plant roots; the balance is oxygen, released back to the atmosphere. Almost half a century passed before the concept of chemical energy had developed sufficiently to permit the discovery (in 1845) that light energy from the sun is stored as chemical energy in products formed during photosynthesis.

This equation is merely a summary statement, for the process of photosynthesis actually involves numerous reactions catalyzed by enzymes (organic catalysts ). These reactions occur in two stages: the “light” stage, consisting of photochemical (i.e., light-capturing) reactions; and the “dark” stage, comprising chemical reactions controlled by enzymes . During the first stage, the energy of light is absorbed and used to drive a series of electron transfers, resulting in the synthesis of ATP and the electron-donor-reduced nicotine adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). During the dark stage, the ATP and NADPH formed in the light-capturing reactions are used to reduce carbon dioxide to organic carbon compounds. This assimilation of inorganic carbon into organic compounds is called carbon fixation.

Van Niel’s proposal was important because the popular (but incorrect) theory had been that oxygen was removed from carbon dioxide (rather than hydrogen from water, releasing oxygen) and that carbon then combined with water to form carbohydrate (rather than the hydrogen from water combining with CO 2 to form CH 2 O).

By 1940 chemists were using heavy isotopes to follow the reactions of photosynthesis. Water marked with an isotope of oxygen ( 18 O) was used in early experiments. Plants that photosynthesized in the presence of water containing H 2 18 O produced oxygen gas containing 18 O; those that photosynthesized in the presence of normal water produced normal oxygen gas. These results provided definitive support for van Niel’s theory that the oxygen gas produced during photosynthesis is derived from water.

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photosynthesis

ප්‍රභාසංශ්ලේෂණය

Last Update: 2015-05-25 Usage Frequency: 16 Quality: Reference: Wikipedia

a desert is a place that has few, or sometimes even no, life forms. sometimes life forms adapt to living in deserts, but conditions tend to be extreme, and survival is challenging. some deserts can be visited but not lived in. some deserts are so inhospitable that life as we know it cannot survive in them at all. in terms of rainfall, areas that receive less than ten inches of rain a year are considered to be deserts. some deserts receive only three or four inches of rain a year. a few places do not receive any rain at all. when we think about deserts, we think about limiting factors. on earth, liquid water is necessary for life. some life forms survive periods when water is not available by becoming spores or seeds, or by becoming dormant (hibernation or estivation). some plants can survive for many years as seeds. insects and unicellular life forms can also wait out drought. sooner or later, however, liquid water is necessary. survival is essential, but it is not all of life. without growth and reproduction, life is on hold, not progressing. salinity can also interfere with an organism's use of water. fresh water fish cannot live in the ocean, and land plants watered with sea water will die. the excess salt in briny water pulls water out of the organism and dehydrates it. if you put a salt water fish in fresh water it will die, too, because the organism will retain too much water in its cells. sunlight: is the ultimate source of most of the energy used by living things on earth. plants use sunlight for photosynthesis. lack of light in caves and under deep water make these environments unsuitable for photosynthesizing plants. hydrogen sulfide: a small set of life forms live around deep sea volcanic vents, using a process called chemosynthesis to extract energy from the mineral rich hot water. without these chemicals, these cold, dark areas are almost lifeless. essential ele

Last Update: 2014-11-16 Usage Frequency: 1 Quality: Reference: Wikipedia

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ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar.

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Learning materials, instructional links.

• Photosynthesis (Google doc)

Most life on Earth depends on photosynthesis .The process is carried out by plants, algae, and some types of bacteria, which capture energy from sunlight to produce oxygen (O 2 ) and chemical energy stored in glucose (a sugar). Herbivores then obtain this energy by eating plants, and carnivores obtain it by eating herbivores.

The process

During photosynthesis, plants take in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water (H 2 O) from the air and soil. Within the plant cell, the water is oxidized, meaning it loses electrons, while the carbon dioxide is reduced, meaning it gains electrons. This transforms the water into oxygen and the carbon dioxide into glucose. The plant then releases the oxygen back into the air, and stores energy within the glucose molecules.

Chlorophyll

Inside the plant cell are small organelles called chloroplasts , which store the energy of sunlight. Within the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast is a light-absorbing pigment called chlorophyll , which is responsible for giving the plant its green color. During photosynthesis , chlorophyll absorbs energy from blue- and red-light waves, and reflects green-light waves, making the plant appear green.

Light-dependent Reactions vs. Light-independent Reactions

While there are many steps behind the process of photosynthesis, it can be broken down into two major stages: light-dependent reactions and light-independent reactions. The light-dependent reaction takes place within the thylakoid membrane and requires a steady stream of sunlight, hence the name light- dependent reaction. The chlorophyll absorbs energy from the light waves, which is converted into chemical energy in the form of the molecules ATP and NADPH . The light-independent stage, also known as the Calvin cycle , takes place in the stroma , the space between the thylakoid membranes and the chloroplast membranes, and does not require light, hence the name light- independent reaction. During this stage, energy from the ATP and NADPH molecules is used to assemble carbohydrate molecules, like glucose, from carbon dioxide.

C3 and C4 Photosynthesis

Not all forms of photosynthesis are created equal, however. There are different types of photosynthesis, including C3 photosynthesis and C4 photosynthesis. C3 photosynthesis is used by the majority of plants. It involves producing a three-carbon compound called 3-phosphoglyceric acid during the Calvin Cycle, which goes on to become glucose. C4 photosynthesis, on the other hand, produces a four-carbon intermediate compound, which splits into carbon dioxide and a three-carbon compound during the Calvin Cycle. A benefit of C4 photosynthesis is that by producing higher levels of carbon, it allows plants to thrive in environments without much light or water. The National Geographic Society is making this content available under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA license . The License excludes the National Geographic Logo (meaning the words National Geographic + the Yellow Border Logo) and any images that are included as part of each content piece. For clarity the Logo and images may not be removed, altered, or changed in any way.

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AP®︎/College Biology

Course: ap®︎/college biology   >   unit 3.

• Photosynthesis

Intro to photosynthesis

• Breaking down photosynthesis stages
• Conceptual overview of light dependent reactions
• The light-dependent reactions
• The Calvin cycle
• Photosynthesis evolution
• Photosynthesis review

Introduction

What is photosynthesis.

• Energy. The glucose molecules serve as fuel for cells: their chemical energy can be harvested through processes like cellular respiration and fermentation , which generate adenosine triphosphate— ATP ‍   , a small, energy-carrying molecule—for the cell’s immediate energy needs.
• Fixed carbon. Carbon from carbon dioxide—inorganic carbon—can be incorporated into organic molecules; this process is called carbon fixation , and the carbon in organic molecules is also known as fixed carbon . The carbon that's fixed and incorporated into sugars during photosynthesis can be used to build other types of organic molecules needed by cells.

The ecological importance of photosynthesis

• Photoautotrophs use light energy to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds. This process is called photosynthesis.
• Chemoautotrophs extract energy from inorganic compounds by oxidizing them and use this chemical energy, rather than light energy, to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds. This process is called chemosynthesis.
• Photoheterotrophs obtain energy from sunlight but must get fixed carbon in the form of organic compounds made by other organisms. Some types of prokaryotes are photoheterotrophs.
• Chemoheterotrophs obtain energy by oxidizing organic or inorganic compounds and, like all heterotrophs, get their fixed carbon from organic compounds made by other organisms. Animals, fungi, and many prokaryotes and protists are chemoheterotrophs.

Leaves are sites of photosynthesis

The light-dependent reactions and the calvin cycle.

• The light-dependent reactions take place in the thylakoid membrane and require a continuous supply of light energy. Chlorophylls absorb this light energy, which is converted into chemical energy through the formation of two compounds, ATP ‍   —an energy storage molecule—and NADPH ‍   —a reduced (electron-bearing) electron carrier. In this process, water molecules are also converted to oxygen gas—the oxygen we breathe!
• The Calvin cycle , also called the light-independent reactions , takes place in the stroma and does not directly require light. Instead, the Calvin cycle uses ATP ‍   and NADPH ‍   from the light-dependent reactions to fix carbon dioxide and produce three-carbon sugars—glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, or G3P, molecules—which join up to form glucose.

Photosynthesis vs. cellular respiration

Attribution.

• “ Overview of Photosynthesis ” by OpenStax College, Biology, CC BY 3.0 . Download the original article for free at http://cnx.org/contents/5bb72d25-e488-4760-8da8-51bc5b86c29d@8 .
• “ Overview of Photosynthesis ” by OpenStax College, Concepts of Biology, CC BY 3.0 . Download the original article for free at http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected] .

Works cited:

• "Great Oxygenation Event." Wikipedia. Last modified July 17, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Oxygenation_Event .

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photosynthesis

Definition of photosynthesis

Did you know.

Photosynthesis Has Greek Roots

The Greek roots of photosynthesis combine to produce the basic meaning "to put together with the help of light". Photosynthesis is what first produced oxygen in the atmosphere billions of years ago, and it's still what keeps it there. Sunlight splits the water molecules (made of hydrogen and oxygen) held in a plant's leaves and releases the oxygen in them into the air. The leftover hydrogen combines with carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates, which the plant uses as food—as do any animals or humans who might eat the plant.

Examples of photosynthesis in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'photosynthesis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1898, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near photosynthesis

photosynthate

photosynthetic ratio

Cite this Entry

“Photosynthesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/photosynthesis. Accessed 11 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of photosynthesis, medical definition, medical definition of photosynthesis, more from merriam-webster on photosynthesis.

Nglish: Translation of photosynthesis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about photosynthesis

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Photosynthesis

Reviewed by: BD Editors

Photosynthesis Definition

Photosynthesis is the biochemical pathway which converts the energy of light into the bonds of glucose molecules. The process of photosynthesis occurs in two steps. In the first step, energy from light is stored in the bonds of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). These two energy-storing cofactors are then used in the second step of photosynthesis to produce organic molecules by combining carbon molecules derived from carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The second step of photosynthesis is known as the Calvin Cycle. These organic molecules can then be used by mitochondria to produce ATP, or they can be combined to form glucose, sucrose, and other carbohydrates. The chemical equation for the entire process can be seen below.

Photosynthesis Equation

Above is the overall reaction for photosynthesis. Using the energy from light and the hydrogens and electrons from water, the plant combines the carbons found in carbon dioxide into more complex molecules. While a 3-carbon molecule is the direct result of photosynthesis, glucose is simply two of these molecules combined and is often represented as the direct result of photosynthesis due to glucose being a foundational molecule in many cellular systems. You will also notice that 6 gaseous oxygen molecules are produced, as a by-produce. The plant can use this oxygen in its mitochondria during oxidative phosphorylation . While some of the oxygen is used for this purpose, a large portion is expelled into the atmosphere and allows us to breathe and undergo our own oxidative phosphorylation, on sugar molecules derived from plants. You will also notice that this equation shows water on both sides. That is because 12 water molecules are split during the light reactions, while 6 new molecules are produced during and after the Calvin cycle. While this is the general equation for the entire process, there are many individual reactions which contribute to this pathway.

Stages of Photosynthesis

The light reactions.

The light reactions happen in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplasts of plant cells. The thylakoids have densely packed protein and enzyme clusters known as photosystems . There are two of these systems, which work in conjunction with each other to remove electrons and hydrogens from water and transfer them to the cofactors ADP and NADP + . These photosystems were named in the order of which they were discovered, which is opposite of how electrons flow through them. As seen in the image below, electrons excited by light energy flow first through photosystem II (PSII), and then through photosystem I (PSI) as they create NADPH. ATP is created by the protein ATP synthase , which uses the build-up of hydrogen atoms to drive the addition of phosphate groups to ADP.

The entire system works as follows. A photosystem is comprised of various proteins that surround and connect a series of pigment molecules . Pigments are molecules that absorb various photons, allowing their electrons to become excited. Chlorophyll a is the main pigment used in these systems, and collects the final energy transfer before releasing an electron. Photosystem II starts this process of electrons by using the light energy to split a water molecule, which releases the hydrogen while siphoning off the electrons. The electrons are then passed through plastoquinone, an enzyme complex that releases more hydrogens into the thylakoid space . The electrons then flow through a cytochrome complex and plastocyanin to reach photosystem I. These three complexes form an electron transport chain , much like the one seen in mitochondria. Photosystem I then uses these electrons to drive the reduction of NADP + to NADPH. The additional ATP made during the light reactions comes from ATP synthase, which uses the large gradient of hydrogen molecules to drive the formation of ATP.

The Calvin Cycle

With its electron carriers NADPH and ATP all loaded up with electrons, the plant is now ready to create storable energy. This happens during the Calvin Cycle , which is very similar to the citric acid cycle seen in mitochondria. However, the citric acid cycle creates ATP other electron carriers from 3-carbon molecules, while the Calvin cycle produces these products with the use of NADPH and ATP. The cycle has 3 phases, as seen in the graphic below.

During the first phase, a carbon is added to a 5-carbon sugar, creating an unstable 6-carbon sugar. In phase two, this sugar is reduced into two stable 3-carbon sugar molecules. Some of these molecules can be used in other metabolic pathways, and are exported. The rest remain to continue cycling through the Calvin cycle. During the third phase, the five-carbon sugar is regenerated to start the process over again. The Calvin cycle occurs in the stroma of a chloroplast. While not considered part of the Calvin cycle, these products can be used to create a variety of sugars and structural molecules.

Products of Photosynthesis

The direct products of the light reactions and the Calvin cycle are 3-phosphoglycerate and G3P, two different forms of a 3-carbon sugar molecule. Two of these molecules combined equals one glucose molecule, the product seen in the photosynthesis equation. While this is the main food source for plants and animals, these 3-carbon skeletons can be combined into many different forms. A structural form worth note is cellulose , and extremely strong fibrous material made essentially of strings of glucose. Besides sugars and sugar-based molecules, oxygen is the other main product of photosynthesis. Oxygen created from photosynthesis fuels every respiring organism on the planet.

1. To complete the Calvin cycle, carbon dioxide is needed. Carbon dioxide reaches the interior of the plant via stomata , or small holes in the surface of a leaf. To avoid water loss and total dehydration on hot days, plants close their stomata. Can plants continue to undergo photosynthesis? A. Yes, as long as there is light B. No, without CO 2 the process cannot continue C. Only the light reaction will continue

2. Why are the products of photosynthesis important to non-photosynthetic organisms? A. It is the basis of most the energy on Earth B. They need the minor nutrients assembled by plants C. They are not important for obligate carnivores

3. Why do plants need water? A. For photosynthesis B. For structure C. To transfer nutrients D. All of the above

Lodish, H., Berk, A., Kaiser, C. A., Krieger, M., Scott, M. P., Bretscher, A., . . . Matsudaira, P. (2008). Molecular Cell Biology 6th. ed . New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. Nelson, D. L., & Cox, M. M. (2008). Principles of Biochemistry . New York: W.H. Freeman and Company.

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