Review Question

• Which mode of nutrition do the green plants

carry out?

A. Autotrophic nutrition

B. Heterotrophic nutrition
 Sorry! You’re wrong!
• Heterotrophic nutrition is the mode of
nutrition in which organisms have to depend
on other organisms or dead organic matters as
their food sources. Green plants, however, can
make organic food by themselves using simple
inorganic substances.

Back
 Very Good!
• Autotrophic nutrition is the mode of
nutrition in which organisms can make
organic food by themselves using simple
inorganic substances.
• The process by which the green plants
obtain nutrients is called :-
Photosynthesis
 Overview of nutrition in green
plants
carbon dioxide and water
photosynthesis
carbohydrates (e.g. glucose) mineral salts
(e.g. NO3-, SO42-)

fatty acids glycerol amino acids water

nutrients for plants can be used to produce all

plant materials (e.g. enzymes, cell wall,
cytoplasm, cell membrane, chlorophyll)
 Nature of photosynthesis
• Anabolic process
• Takes place in chloroplast
• Necessary factors :
•Carbon dioxide
•Water
•Sunlight
•Chlorophyll
Light
Light Absorption Spectrum

Why leave looked green?

Different pigments in absorption
spectrum
How light energy used?
 Light reaction
• Light energy is trapped by chlorophyll in
chloroplast
 Light reaction
Light energy absorbed by chlorophyll splits water molecules into
hydrogen and oxygen
 Light reaction
Oxygen is released as a gas through stoma to outside
 Light reaction
Hydrogen is fed into dark reaction
 Dark reaction
• Noislight
Water
Hydrogenformed
produced
isasrequired;
a in
by-product
light reaction combines
can take placewitheither
CO2 toin
form
carbohydrates
light or darkness
Chlorophyll Structure
 Light Reaction

Photophosphorylation
Cyclic photophosphorylation
Dark Reaction

M. Calvin
Calvin Cycle
CHLOROPLAST
Fate of product of photosynthesis

Kreb
cycle
Factors affect rate of
photosynthesis
 Expt. Show effect of factors

Conc. Of Distance

NaHCO3

Heat
 Fate of carbohydrate products in
the plant
carbon dioxide and water
photosynthesis
carbohydrates (e.g. glucose) mineral salts
(e.g. NO3-, SO42-)

fatty acids glycerol amino acids water

 Fate of carbohydrate products in
the plant
carbon dioxide and water
photosynthesis
carbohydrates (e.g. glucose) mineral salts
(e.g. NO3-, SO42-)

fatty acids glycerol amino acids water

release energy by respiration

 Fate of carbohydrate products in
the plant
carbon dioxide and water
photosynthesis
carbohydrates (e.g. glucose) mineral salts
(e.g. NO3-, SO42-)

fatty acids glycerol amino acids water

convert into starch for storage

 Fate of carbohydrate products in
the plant
carbon dioxide and water
photosynthesis
carbohydrates (e.g. glucose) mineral salts
(e.g. NO3-, SO42-)

fatty acids glycerol amino acids water

change into sucrose and is transported

to other parts through phloem
 Fate of carbohydrate products in
the plant
carbon dioxide and water
photosynthesis
carbohydrates (e.g. glucose) mineral salts
(e.g. NO3-, SO42-)

fatty acids glycerol amino acids water

combine to form fats and oils to form

cell membranes and as a food store
 Fate of carbohydrate products in
the plant
carbon dioxide and water
photosynthesis
carbohydrates (e.g. glucose) mineral salts
(e.g. NO3-, SO42-)

fatty acids glycerol amino acids water

join together to become

protein molecules
 Mineral requirements in plants
• In order to synthesize amino acids, nitrate
ions must be taken into the plant from the
soil through the root
• Other minerals are also necessary to
maintain the life of the plant
 Expt. Show effect of minerals

Different
Nutrient
added
 The importance of nitrogen
• For synthesis of proteins, chlorophyll, etc.
• Taken in the form of nitrate ions
• Deficiency symptoms:
– Little growth (no protein made)
– Yellowing of leaves (chlorophyll made)
 The importance of magnesium
• Essential component of chlorophyll
• Deficiency symptoms:
– Yellowing of leaves (no chlorophyll made)
– Poor growth (no food manufactured because
of lack of chlorophyll)
 Use of fertilizers in agriculture
• Continuous harvesting crops removes the
valuable mineral salts from soil
Fertilizers are added to replace such loss
• Two kinds of fertilizers:
– Natural fertilizers
– Chemical fertilizers
 Natural fertilizers
• From manure
• Organic compounds in it are decomposed
by bacteria in soil to form mineral salts
 Chemical fertilizers
• Mainly nitrogenous and phosphorous
compounds manufactured artificially
 Comparison between natural and
chemical fertilizers
Natural fertilizers Chemical fertilizers
Very cheap More expensive
Contain humus which No humus so cannot
can improve soil improve soil texture
texture
Less soluble in water Very soluble in water
so less likely to be so more likely to be
washed away washed away
 Comparison between natural and
chemical fertilizers
Natural fertilizers Chemical fertilizers
Less soluble in water Very soluble in water
so more difficult to be so easier to be
absorbed absorbed

Time is needed for the More readily to be

decomposition to used by the plants
complete before
nutrient is available to
plants
 Importance of photosynthesis
• It is the only method to convert energy in
sunlight into chemical energy
– Animals have to depend on plants for food
supply
– Plants: producers; animals : consumers
• To maintain a constant oxygen level in the
atmosphere
Experiments to test for necessary factors
of photosynthesis

• Experimental set-up: To remove the factor

under study and to see if photosynthesis still
takes place
• Control set-up: Identical to experimental
set-up except that the missing factor is
present
A set-up to study whether light is
necessary for photosynthesis

Region B

Region A leafy shoot

water
Which is the control, the exposed region
A or the shaded region B?
 What is the purpose of setting up
region A?
• As a control
Too simple and not explicit!
To show that photosynthesis cannot take place in the absence of
light
 Destarching
• Reason:
– To avoid any existing starch in the leaves
interfering with the result, and to show that any
starch found after the experiment was produced
during the period of investigation
• Method:
– By placing the plant in dark for at least 24
hours
 Parts of plant where
photosynthesis takes place
• Places where chloroplasts are found
• Mainly in the leaf because
– it contains a lot of chloroplasts
– it is well adapted for performing photosynthesis
Cross-section of a dicot leaf
upper
epidermis
protect
internal
tissues
from
mechanical
damage and
bacterial
and fungal
invasion
Cross-section of a dicot leaf
Cuticle
• a waxy
layer
• prevent
water loss
from the
leaf
surface
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

mesophyll
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

palisade
mesophyll
columnarmany
contains cells
closely packed
chloroplasts
together
absorb light
more
efficiently
Cross-section of a dicot leaf
irregular cells
loosely packed
together to leave
numerous large
air spaces
allow rapid
diffusion of
gases
less chloroplasts
throughout the
for
leaf
photosynthesis
spongy
mesophyll
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

same as
upper
epidermis
except the
cuticle is
thinner
lower
epidermis
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

stoma
opening which
allows gases
to pass
through it to
go into or out
of the leaf
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

guard cells
control the
size of stoma
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

vascular
bundle
(vein)
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

xylem
•to transport
water and
mineral
salts
towards the
leaf
Cross-section of a dicot leaf

phloem
•to transport
organic
substances
away from
the leaf
Adaptation of leaf to
photosynthesis
Upper epidermis
and cuticle is
transparent
Allows most
light to pass to
photosynthetic
mesophyll
tissues
Adaptation of leaf to
photosynthesis
Palisade
mesophyll cells
are closely
packed and
contain many
chloroplasts
To carry out
photosynthesis
more efficiently
Adaptation of leaf to
photosynthesis
Spongy
mesophyll cells
are loosely
packed with
numerous large
air spaces
To allow rapid
diffusion of gases
throughout the
leaf
Adaptation of leaf to
photosynthesis

Numerous
stomata on
lower epidermis
To allow rapid
gaseous
exchange with
the atmosphere
Adaptation of leaf to
photosynthesis
Extensive vein
system
• Allow sufficient
water to reach
the cells in the
leaf
• To carry food
away from them
to other parts of
the plant
 CHEMOSYNTHSIS

•Iron bacteria
•Colorless sulphur bacteria
•Nitrifying bacteria
Iron bacteria
Nitrifying bacteria