Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis Part 1

Topics: 1. What are the key pigments involved in photosynthesis? 2. Where & how does photosynthesis take place?

How important is photosynthesis?

How important is photosynthesis (PS)?

Some biologists claim it is - THE MOST IMPORTANT BIOCHEMICAL PROCESS on Earth. Why? 1) It is responsible for the O2 on Earth and therefore for the diversity of large eukaryotic life forms on earth

Oxygen bubbles produced by Elodea a freshwater plant and a Green alga

How important is photosynthesis?

2) It provides (either directly or indirectly) all of the food for all animal life on Earth; ie. plants are at the base of every major food chain

How much plant biomass (in kg) does it take to produce 1 Kg of beef biomass?

How important is photosynthesis?

2) PS provides (either directly or indirectly) all of the food for all animal life on Earth; i.e. plants are at the base of every major food chain

How much plant biomass (in Kg) does it take to produce 1Kg of beef biomass? Each year, 41 million tons of plant protein is fed to U.S. livestock to produce an estimated 7 million tons of animal protein for human consumption. Thus for every kilogram of high-quality animal protein produced, livestock are fed nearly 6 kg of plant protein. Whats the ratio?

Photosynthesis Overview
A series of biochemical rxns by which plants convert solar energy into chemical energy, transforming carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

The chemical rxns are the same in all plants, algae and Cyanobacteria
Photosynthesis in bacteria is different than in plants & not as efficient (theres no glucose & oxygen produced)

Overview of Photosynthesis in Plants

Light

6H2O + 6CO2
WATER CARBON DIOXIDE

C6H12O6 + 6O2
GLUCOSE OXYGEN

Overview of Photosynthesis in Plants

Light

6H2O + 6CO2
WATER CARBON DIOXIDE

C6H12O6 + 6O2
GLUCOSE OXYGEN

Whats Required

Overview of Photosynthesis in Plants

Light

6H2O + 6CO2
WATER CARBON DIOXIDE

C6H12O6 + 6O2
GLUCOSE OXYGEN

Whats Required

Whats Produced

Overview of Photosynthesis in Plants

Light

6H2O + 6CO2
WATER CARBON DIOXIDE

C6H12O6 + 6O2
GLUCOSE OXYGEN

How? 2 Stage Process:

1st Stage in PS - Light Rxns H+ protons from H20 passes across thylakoid membrane and ATP produced 2nd Stage in PS - Calvin Cycle - C02 is converted into glucose

Where does photosynthesis occur in plants?

1. All PS occurs in chloroplasts 2. Chloroplasts within leaf cells are the primary site of PS 3. The pigments involved in the Light Rxns. are embedded in the thylakoid membranes

Major Pigments in Plants

There are 2 major types of pigments in plants - chlorophylls & carotenoids: 1) Chlorophylls:
Chlorophyll a - passes light energy directly on to the light reaction centers of both Photosystem I and II Chlorophyll b - acts as accessory pigment (a pigment that acts as an antenna complex & passes its energy to Chl a)

2) Carotenoids:
a) Act as antioxidants, protect against ROS; are yellow, orange, red in color b) There are 2 types of carotenoids Carotenes; e.g. beta-carotene, lycopene; essential for good health; do not contain oxygen Xanthophylls, yellow, also good for health, contain oxygen
Bee pollen is rich in xanthophyll; carrots are rich in carotene

Chlorophyll & Carotenoid Absorption Spectra

Chlorophyll a & b absorb light energy in the blue and red wavelengths of light; carotenoids in the blue & green Chlorophyll a absorbs at 450 nm and 675 nm Chlorophyll b absorbs at 470 nm and 640 nm

Chlorophyll Absorption Spectrum

Chlorophyll a & b absorb light energy in the blue and red wavelengths of light; carotenoids in the blue & green Note: Plant leaves appear green because chlorophyll reflects green wavelengths of light; pigments look the color of the wavelengths they reflect not absorb

It has been known since the late 1880s that oxygen production is caused by blue and red wavelengths of light

Engelmann Experiment Experiment by T.W. Engelmann in 1882 with a freshwater alga called Spirogyra showed oxygen was being produced in the blue & red wavelengths of light.

Remember - visible light is only a small portion of the entire electromagnetic spectrum

Structure of chlorophyll a & b

CHO in chlorophyll b Porphyrin ring structure in headabsorbs light; has central Mg atom which carries electrons in PS

Long hydrocarbon tail is hydrophobic (& lipophillic) and anchors molecule in thylakoid membrane

Chlorophyll a

CHLOROPHYLL

NO OXYGEN!!!!

Both Pigments have: long hydrocarbon backbones but very different heads

BETA-CAROTENE
Chlorophyll a molecules embedded in thylakoid membrane

Chlorophyll & carotenoids can be easily extracted with organic solvents (eg acetone) and separated by paper chromatography
ISOLATING PIGMENTS VIA PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY

1.

Grind leaf, add 2. Spot pigments organic solvent on filter paper. like acetone, pigment molecules move from leaf tissue into solvent.

3. Separate pigments in one solvent.

4. Rotate paper and separate pigments in second solvent.

Paper Chromatography primarily separates molecules according to their size.

So which pigment (chlorophyll a or beta carotene) do you expect to be at the top of the paper? Which chlorophyll do you expect to be higher? Chlorophyll a

Figure 7.4b

Top Beta-Carotene

Chlorophyll a
Chlorophyll b

Other Carotenoids

A Finished Chromatogram after 1 solvent

Chlorophyll Concentration Varies with environmental conditions

Chlorophyll conc. decreases under poor nutrition and cold temperatures. Why do leaves change color in Fall? Chlorophyll breaks down when temperatures drop in the Fall and the carotenoids & anthocyanins (previously hidden) become dominant, cause yellows & reds

5. What Pigments are Responsible for Autumn Fall foliage Coloration? - caused by breakdown of chlorophyll & dominance
of carotenoids & anthocyanins (reds & purples)

The 2 stages of PS occur in different parts of the Chloroplast

The Light Rxns occur in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast, which occur in stacks called grana

EM (electron micrograph) of a chloroplast

Photosynthesis - a 2 Stage Process

1) Photosynthesis consists of a 2 stage process:
1st - Light Reactions; products - ATP, NADPH, O2 2nd - Calvin Cycle (used to be called the Dark Rxns); products - Glucose, NADP, ADP

The 2 stages of PS occur in different parts of the Chloroplast

The Calvin Cycle occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast

Light Reactions Overview

1) In the Light Rxns - there are 2 clusters or complexes of chlorophyll molecules involved Photosystem I and II; these occur close together in something called a Photosynthetic Unit

2) PS begins with the absorption of light energy (as photons) by chlorophyll molecules in Photosystem II, followed by the transfer of excited electrons to the Electron Transport Chain (ETC) & then to Photosystem I
3) Photosystem I and II are named in the order they were discovered

Overview of Light Rxns - Described as the Z Scheme of photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is basically a series of oxidation-reduction reactions

Remember what reduction & oxidation are? Reduction is the loss of oxygen, or the addition of an electron or a hydrogen atom. Oxidation is the addition of oxygen, or the loss of an electron or a hydrogen atom. Note: A strong oxidant gives up electrons; a strong reductant gains electrons.

Light Reactions - Key Steps

Step 1- The Light Rxns begin in Photosystem II with the absorption of light energy by chlorophyll b molecules and the transfer of energy to the chlorophyll a P680 reaction center

Chlorophyll b molecules

3 things can happen when an atom absorbs a photon of light

Electron returns to Ground state & energy given off as fluorescence

Energy transfer to acceptor molecule

Electron transfer to acceptor molecule

Chlorophyll in UV light - gives off a lot of energy as flourescence

Phytoplankton blooms in the spring(bottom) can be tracked from satellites due to the flourescence of their chlorophyll

Light Reactions - Key Steps

Step 3 - Electrons passed down the Electron Transport Chain (ETC) enter the P700 reaction center of Photosystem I. Light energy excites them to a higher energy level and they are passed to a second, shorter Electron Transport Chain and finally to NADP to produce NADPH used in the Calvin Cycle

Light Reactions have 2 ETCs

The composition of the two Electron Transport Chains (ETC) differs. 1).The ETC between Photosystems II and I - contains plastoquinones, a cytochrome complex & plastocyanin. 2). The ETC that accepts electrons from Photosystem I contains ferredoxin molecules.

Detailed Composition of the 2 ETCs

Some herbicides are designed to block electron flow down the 2 ETCs
Some herbicides, including DCMU (dichlorophenyldimethylurea) and paraquat, act by blocking the electron acceptors of the Electron Transport Chain connecting Photosystem II and I or Photosystem I and NADP.
What would be the benefit of such herbicides?

Some herbicides are designed to block electron flow down the 2 ETCs
Some herbicides, including DCMU (dichlorophenyldimethylurea) and paraquat, act by blocking the electron acceptors of the Electron Transport Chain connecting Photosystem II and I or Photosystem I and NADP.
What would be the benefit of such herbicides? They can not hurt animals.

Light Reaction Products - Summary

The net products of the Light Rxns are: ATP, NADPH and O2 Do you know where the O2 & ATP comes from? ATP - used to think produced while electrons are passed down the Electron Transport Chain connecting Photosystem II to Photosystem I

Now know ATP is produced by process called chemiosmosis - the flow of H+ protons thru ATP synthase channels across an electrochemical (ie pH) gradient. How?

Remember - the Light Rxns molecules are embedded in the thylakoid membrane

Remember where the stroma and thylakoid space or lumen are

The Light Rxns molecules are embedded as close together in clusters in the thylakoid membrane & make up one photosynthetic unit

Chemiosmosis in chloroplasts
1). As H2O is oxidized, H+ ions (protons) are released into the thylakoid lumen. Also, protons in the Stroma are pumped into the lumen, making it lower in pH or more acidic and resulting in an electrochemical gradient across the thylakoid membrane ( eg pH 6 inside vs 8 outside)

Chemiosmosis in chloroplasts
2). Protons flow against the electrochemical gradient and across the membrane thru ATP synthase channels. As they do, ADP is phosphorylated to ATP on the stroma side of the membrane. The process is also called photophosphorylation because a P is added to ADP and light was required.

ATP synthase channel