Unit A

Module 1 ~ Lesson 1

Photosynthesis and Chemosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into glucose.

Chemosynthesis by deep-sea producers uses chemical energy to make organic molecules.

Photosynthesis

«math style=¨font-family:Verdana¨ xmlns=¨http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML¨»«mrow mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»6«/mn»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»CO«/mi»«mrow»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»2«/mn»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«/mrow»«/msub»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»g«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»)«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»+«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»6«/mn»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»H«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»2«/mn»«/msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»O«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»l«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»)«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»+«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»solar«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»energy«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#8594;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»C«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»6«/mn»«/msub»«msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»H«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»12«/mn»«/msub»«msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»O«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»6«/mn»«/msub»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»s«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»)«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»+«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»6«/mn»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»O«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»2«/mn»«/msub»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨»g«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨»)«/mo»«/mrow»«/math»

Cellular Respiration

«math style=¨font-family:Verdana¨ xmlns=¨http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML¨»«msub mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»C«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»6«/mn»«/msub»«msub mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»H«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»12«/mn»«/msub»«msub mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»O«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»6«/mn»«/msub»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»s«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»)«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»+«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«msub mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»O«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»2«/mn»«/msub»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»g«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»)«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#8594;«/mo»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»6«/mn»«msub mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»CO«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»2«/mn»«/msub»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»g«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»)«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»+«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»6«/mn»«msub mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»H«/mi»«mn mathvariant=¨bold¨»2«/mn»«/msub»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»O«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»(«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»l«/mi»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»)«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»+«/mo»«mo mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»§#160;«/mo»«mi mathvariant=¨bold¨ mathcolor=¨#FFFFFF¨»energy«/mi»«/math»

Photosynthesis is an important mechanism for capturing and storing energy. Plant cells have organelles called chloroplasts, containing the pigment chlorophyll, which are able to capture the solar energy. The solar energy excites electrons in the chlorophyll, triggering a series of reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Photosynthesis occurs mainly in the leaves of plants.

Some photoautotrophs are not plants, but special bacteria capable of performing photosynthesis. The bacteria in this image are called cyanobacteria and are usually found in fresh water environments, but they can also be found in areas such as oceans, damp rocky areas, damp soil and even the fur of sloths.

Watch

Web Resource

Visit Dive and Discover for an overview of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Dive and Discover

The northernmost hydrothermal vent fields in the world were discovered in late July 2005 on a research expedition northwest of Norway. Adam Schultz, COAS geophysicist who has studied hydrothermal systems since the 1980s, was part of the collaborative expedition with the University of Bergen, Norway. Hydrothermal vents, also called "smokers" or "chimneys", form along the Mid-Ocean Ridge, an area along the ocean floor where the Earth's crust splits apart and new crust bubbles up in the form of lava from the mantle. The ridge is the Earth's largest geologic feature; it zips up and down the middle of the world's ocean basins like seams on a baseball, and is considered one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Schultz says "There is also a vast low-temperature field that supports a diverse community of life, including large sea-lilies that sit atop mineral-bacterial chimney-like structures that look like pineapples. That is a particularly strange form of vent, because the fluids come out at a temperature only a fraction of a degree above the temperature of the background seawater, and that is very cold-below zero Celcius-which is only possible in the Arctic." Much of the Arctic Ridge system is unexplored, and prior to this discovery, a vent field on the shelf of Iceland was the only one scientists had ever laid eyes upon. In marked contrast to that Icelandic field, the new fields are replete with animal life. ¹

Read

Read "The Need for Energy", "A Closer Look at Producers", and "Energy for Life in the Deep Ocean" on pages 8 to 12 in your textbook.