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Photosynthesis - Coggle Diagram

- - - - The difference between wavelengths relates to the amount of energy carried by them.
    - - The longer the wavelength (or the more stretched out it appears in the diagram), the less energy is carried
      - Short, tight waves carry the most energy
  - - - Each pigments has evolved to absorb only certain wavelengths (colors) of visible light. Pigments reflect or transmit the wavelengths they cannot absorb, making them appear in the corresponding color.
      - Major classes
        
        Chlorophylls
        
        five major chlorophylls: a, b, c and d and a related molecule found in prokaryotes called bacteriochlorophyll
        
        Chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b are found in higher plant chloroplasts and will be the focus of the following discussion.
        
        carotenoids
        
        found in fruit—such as the red of tomato (lycopene), the yellow of corn seeds (zeaxanthin), or the orange of an orange peel (β-carotene)
        
        function as photosynthetic pigments that are very efficient molecules for the disposal of excess energy
        
        When a leaf is exposed to full sun, the light-dependent reactions are required to process an enormous amount of energy; if that energy is not handled properly, it can do significant damage. Therefore, many carotenoids reside in the thylakoid membrane, absorb excess energy, and safely dissipate that energy as heat.
      - absorption spectrum
        
        the specific pattern of wavelengths it absorbs from visible light,
        
        a spectrophotometer can differentiate which wavelengths of light a substance can absorb.
        
        Additional methods are various types of chromatography that separate the pigments by their relative affinities to solid and mobile phases.
- - - - a group of bacteria called cyanobacteria are the only organisms capable of performing photosynthesis
    - - Synthesize ATP