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5: Photosynthesis

  • Page ID
    7000
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    The energy that is harnessed from photosynthesis enters the ecosystems of our planet continuously and is transferred from one organism to another. Therefore, directly or indirectly, the process of photosynthesis provides most of the energy required by living things on earth. Photosynthesis also results in the release of oxygen into the atmosphere. In short, to eat and breathe, humans depend almost entirely on the organisms that carry out photosynthesis.

    • 5.1: Overview of Photosynthesis
      All living organisms on earth consist of one or more cells. Each cell runs on the chemical energy found mainly in carbohydrate molecules (food), and the majority of these molecules are produced by one process: photosynthesis. Through photosynthesis, certain organisms convert solar energy (sunlight) into chemical energy, which is then used to build carbohydrate molecules. The energy used to hold these molecules together is released when an organism breaks down food.
    • 5.2: The Light-Dependent Reactions of Photosynthesis
      How can light be used to make food? It is easy to think of light as something that exists and allows living organisms, such as humans, to see, but light is a form of energy. Like all energy, light can travel, change form, and be harnessed to do work. In the case of photosynthesis, light energy is transformed into chemical energy, which autotrophs use to build carbohydrate molecules. However, autotrophs only use a specific component of sunlight.
    • 5.3: The Calvin Cycle
      Carbohydrate molecules made will have a backbone of carbon atoms. Where does the carbon come from? The carbon atoms used to build carbohydrate molecules comes from carbon dioxide, the gas that animals exhale with each breath. The Calvin cycle is the term used for the reactions of photosynthesis that use the energy stored by the light-dependent reactions to form glucose and other carbohydrate molecules.
    • 5.E: Photosynthesis (Exercises)

    Thumbnail: Plant cells (bounded by purple walls) filled with chloroplasts (green), which are the site of photosynthesis. Image used with permission (CC BY-SA 3.0; Kristian Peters)


    This page titled 5: Photosynthesis is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by OpenStax.

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