Photosynthesis

Animations
Student Worksheet
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INTRODUCTION
This worksheet complements the animation series Photosynthesis.

PROCEDURE
1. This animation series contains seven parts. Read the questions below for each part before watching it.
2. After watching each part, answer the questions in the spaces provided.
3. After completing all seven parts of the animation, answer the summary questions in Part 8.

QUESTIONS
PART 1: OVERVIEW
1. Which of the following kinds of organisms do photosynthesis? Select all that apply.

__/__plants ____fungi ____animals __/__algae ____all bacteria __/__some bacteria

2. What is the overall purpose of photosynthesis?

The overall purpose of photosynthesis is to convert light energy from the sun to chemical energy.

3. On Diagram 1, fill in the labels with photosynthesis’s main inputs and outputs of matter and energy.

oxygen

carbohydrates
sun

water Carbon dioxide

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PART 2: CHEMICAL PROCESS

1. Complete the following sentence.
Photosynthesis is a set of chemical reactions in which light energy is converted to chemical energy.

2. On Diagram 2, fill in the labels with the following descriptions. Some of the objects have multiple labels.
● water (H2O)
● carbon dioxide (CO2)
● oxygen (O2) Energy input
● G3P (sugar)
● electron acceptor
water (H 2O) Carbon dioxide (CO ) Oxygen (O2)
● electron donor 2 carbohydrates
● carbohydrates
● energy input

G3P (sugar)

Electron Electron
donor acceptor

3PART: LEAF STRUCTURE

1. In what plant structures does photosynthesis occur? Make your description as specific as you can.
Photosynthesis occur in the plant structures called chloroplasts.

2. On Diagram 3, complete the following tasks.

a) Draw how CO2 gets into
the leaf.
b) Draw how O2 gets out of
the leaf.
c) Label the name of the O2
structure through which
these gases pass. Stomata

Stomata

CO2

3. What structure is used to transport organic molecules from the leaf to other parts of the plant?
The structure used is the Vascular bundles.

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4. Why are leaves green?

Plants are green because they have lots of chlorophyll which is a green photosynthetic pigment.

PART 4: CHLOROPLASTS
1. On Diagram 4, label the following items. Multiple labels may apply to the same part of the diagram.
● location of the light reactions
● location of the Calvin cycle
● thylakoid
● stroma Location of the light reactions Location of the Calvin cycle
thylakoid stroma

2. On Diagram 5, fill in the labels with the following descriptions to show the connections between the light
reactions and the Calvin cycle.
● carbon dioxide (CO2)
● oxygen (O2)
● G3P (sugar) Carbon
dioxide (CO2)
● ATP
● NADPH

ATP

NADPH

Oxygen
(O2)
G3P
(sugar)

3. How does a plant increase its biomass?

The plant increases its biomass through the formation of new organic molecules such as sugar molecules.

PART 5: LIGHT REACTIONS

Photosystems I and II (PSI and PSII)
1. What is the function of the photosystems?
They transform light energy to chemical energy.

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2. On Diagram 6, complete the following tasks.

a) Label PSI
and PSII.
b) Draw the
path of the
electron
transport
chain.

PSII PSI
7. ATP SYNTHASE

The Events of the Light Reactions

3. For PSII, the cytochrome complex, and PSI, draw and label what happens at that structure on Diagram 6.
Then describe the events in a bulleted list in Table 1.

Table 1: Descriptions of the steps in the light reactions.

Structure What is happening with matter? What is happening with energy?
PSII The chlorophyll (a light absorbing The energy made the electrons
pigment) is capturing photons. That excited to a higher energy level. That
causes the electron in the chlorophyll causes electrons to be passed into an
to react and leave the PSII. Now, electron carrier and then
water splits and releases electron to transported to the cytochrome
replace the electron that moved into complex.
the cytochrome complex. The by-
product is oxygen.

cytochrome The excited electrons from the PSII Some of the energy from the
complex moves in here (in the cytochrome electrons is used by the cytochrome
complex). The, a protein inside the complex. This will produce additional
lumen will drive the electron to the PSI protons transported into the lumen.

PSI The electron from the cytochrome The electrons have now lost their
complex moves here (in PSI). Photons energy gained from light in PSII.
of light also hit the PSI. Somehow, photons of light also hit
the PSI and it makes the electron
excited again. That causes the

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electron to be
moved to the last electron carrier.

4. At the end of the electron transport chain, where is the light energy that was absorbed and converted by
chlorophyll stored? List two answers.
 At the end of the electron transport chain, the light energy that was absorbed and converted by
chlorophyll stored into NADPH (a reduced molecule) and;
 some energies released from the transfer of electrons established a proton (H+) gradient across the
thylakoid membrane.

Chemiosmosis and ATP Synthase

5. Label the ATP synthase on Diagram 6.

6. Describe how the proton (H+) gradient is used to make ATP.

 Protons that accumulated in the lumen diffuses into the stroma through an enzyme ATP synthase.
 ATP synthase uses the potential energy of the proton (H+) gradient to combine ADP and Pi
 The combination of ADP + Pi makes ATP.

7. What two molecules bring chemical energy from the light reactions to the next stage of photosynthesis, the
Calvin cycle?
The two molecules which bring chemical energy from the light reactions to the Calvin cycle are the ATP and
NADPH.

PART 6: CALVIN CYCLE

1. Label Diagram 7 with the three phases of the Calvin cycle.

Fixation

Regeneration Reduction

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Briefly describe what is going on in each phase and answer the questions shown.
Phase 1 (Diagram 8)
Description:

Inorganic carbon in a form of CO2 from the air is

incorporated into organic molecules, a process known as
the Fixation. The reaction between 3 molecules of carbon
dioxide (CO2) and 3 molecules of ribulose bisphosphate
(RuBP) produces 6 molecules of a three-carbon molecule
(3- PGA).

What enzyme catalyzes the reaction in this phase?

The enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of CO2 and RuBP in

this phase is the RuBisCO.
Phase 2 (Diagram 9)
Description:

The organic molecules are reduced, this is a process called

the Reduction. ATP and NADPH use their stored energy to
convert the three-carbon compound (6 molecules), 3-PGA,
into another three-carbon compound (6 molecules) called
G3P. These contains more electrons and are higher in
potential energy than 3-PGA. The 6 molecules of G3P
reduces into because the 1 molecule exits the cycle to be
used to make other organic molecules.

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Phase 3 (Diagram 10)
Description:
Why is the series of reactions in the Calvin cycle called a
“cycle”?

In the Regeneration phase, a large set of reaction uses the 5

molecules of G3P and energy from 3 molecules of ATP to
produce 3 molecules of RuBP. With that, the process starts
again. Calvin cycle is called “cycle” because when RuBP, the
molecule that starts the cycle, is regenerated, the cycle
continues or in other words it begins again and again in
cycles.

2. At the end of the Calvin cycle, what molecules have the energy that originally came from light?
At the end of the Calvin cycle, the molecules that originally came from light are NADPH and ATP.

PART 7: BIOSYNTHESIS
1. Complete the following sentence based on Diagram 11.
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G3P) can be used by plant cells to make
sucrose and starch.

2. Which molecule in Diagram 11 is used to transport energy to other parts of

the plant?

The molecule that’s used to transport energy to other parts of the plants is
sucrose.

3. Which molecule in Diagram 11 is stored in the plant for later use as an

energy source?
The molecule stored in the plant for later use as an energy source is starch.

PART 8: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

1. Based on everything you’ve learned from the animations, what is the overall purpose of photosynthesis?
Based on everything I’ve learned from the animations, the overall purpose of photosynthesis is provision of
the plant for itself, and the plants benefits the whole world.

2. Describe how oxygen gas (O2) is produced during photosynthesis. Include the specific structures in the plant
where the reaction occurs.
During the photosynthesis, the photon of light hit the PSII hits the chlorophyll and that makes its electron to

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move out. The H2O is broken into component atoms- the oxygen combines to diatomic oxygen to form O 2.
Then the oxygen is released into the air.

3. Describe the path of an electron from a molecule of water to the sugar G3P.
The electron transport chain is initiated when a photon of light reacts with chlorophyll to excite its electrons
causing them move to the cytochrome complex. During this time, water is broken into component atoms, and
releases electrons into PSII, replacing the original electron in the chlorophyll. As the electron moves from PSII
to cytochrome complex, the energy they have becomes low. Then in PSI, they have regained their excitement
and finally to last electron carrier, NADPH is generated, and in the ATP Synthase, ATP is also generated. Then,
in the Calvin cycle, fixation - where CO 2 binds to RuBP sugar with the help of Rubisco and produces 3- PGA.
Reduction – 3- PGA is converted into GP3 using the energy provided of the ATP and NAPDH.

4. Describe how ATP is produced in the light reactions.

ATP is produced through the electron transport chain and with ATP synthase. The transport of electrons
through PSII, cytochrome complex, and to PSI creates a proton (H+) gradient. Protons then diffuse through
ATP synthase, which creates potential energy for ATP synthase to combine ADP and Pi to form ATP.

5. Which of the following statements best explains how the energy in a photon of light is stored in a molecule of
the sugar G3P? ________
a. Light energy directly provides energy to RuBP and CO 2, which produce G3P in the Calvin cycle.
b. Light energy directly provides energy to ATP synthase, which produces ATP during the light reactions.
c. Light energy energizes electrons to make ATP and NADPH, which provide energy to produce G3P in the
Calvin cycle.

6. When three molecules of carbon dioxide (CO 2) react with three molecules of RuBP during the Calvin cycle, six
molecules of the sugar G3P are produced. One G3P molecule exits the Calvin cycle during Phase 2. What
happens to the other five G3P molecules?
The other 5 G3P molecules are used to produce RuBP. This is done by utilizing 3molecules of ATP. Once RuBP
is formed, the Calvin Cycle process can start again.

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