Exam 8: Photosynthesis: Using Sunlight to Build Carbohydrates

A new experimental pesticide is being tested by a large agricultural chemical company. An unfortunate side effect in plants treated with this new product is a decrease in ATP production in the chloroplasts. (Interestingly, production of ATP in the mitochondria is unaffected.) Given this observation, which of the following would you expect to be DIRECTLY affected by the new pesticide?

Photosynthetic pigments that absorb light from regions of the visible spectrum not absorbed by chlorophyll are _____.

Free-response format: Despite the enormous amount of solar energy that plants are exposed to, photosynthesis is only able to transform about 1% to2% of that energy into stored chemical energy. List three major factors responsible for this phenomenon and explain how each contributes to this inefficiency.

The terminal electron acceptor of a photosynthetic electron transport chain is:

In animal cells, most ATP synthesis takes place in mitochondria, but in plant cells, most of the ATP used by plant cells is made in the chloroplasts.

The energy required to drive the synthesis of the majority of the ATP generated during aerobic respiration comes most directly from:

A researcher is carrying out an experiment where she labels a protein with a fluorescent tag (so she can visualize its location in a cell), and introduces this tagged protein into the lumen of a single thylakoid. She observes her treated cells periodically, and notices that the labeled protein can move between grana, but is never observed in the stroma. What can she deduce?

How many rounds of the Calvin cycle are necessary to complete the synthesis of a 6-carbon sugar molecule? Explain your answer.

The MOST abundant protein on Earth is thought to be:

The proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane is required to _____.

Reactive oxygen species are detoxified by a general category of molecules referred to as _____.

Name the product of the Calvin cycle that is exported from the chloroplast for use by the plant cell.

Paraquat is an herbicide that blocks the transfer of electrons from photosystem I to NADPH. Mechanistically, paraquat is effective because it:

List the similarities and differences between photorespiration and cellular respiration with respect to ATP production and utilization, and the production or consumption of carbon dioxide and oxygen.

Which of the following CORRECTLY describes the role of rubisco in the Calvin cycle?

Despite the enormous amount of solar energy that plants are exposed to, photosynthesis is only able to transform about 1% to 2% of that energy into stored chemical energy. Which of the following contributes to this inefficiency?

NADPH production in photosynthesis requires:

Which step of the Calvin cycle would be affected first by a lack of NADPH?

Which of the following are products of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis that are required by reactions in the Calvin cycle?

How does the plant cell protect itself from harmful reactive oxygen species formed by the interaction of high-energy electrons with oxygen molecules?