AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Inside the plant cell are small organelles called chloroplasts, which store the energy of sunlight. Within the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast is a light-absorbing pigment called chlorophyll, which is responsible for giving the plant its green color.

Detailed explanation-2: -A chlorophyll a molecule has a hydrophobic tail that inserts into the thylakoid membrane and a porphyrin head that captures light energy.

Detailed explanation-3: -Chlorophyll’s job in a plant is to absorb light-usually sunlight. The energy absorbed from light is transferred to two kinds of energy-storing molecules. Through photosynthesis, the plant uses the stored energy to convert carbon dioxide (absorbed from the air) and water into glucose, a type of sugar.

Detailed explanation-4: -Photosynthesis is the lifestyle whereby a plant or bacterium captures light by absorption in a pigment, and converts the energy to its own use. The importance of photosynthesis can hardly be overstated.

Detailed explanation-5: -During the process of photosynthesis, light penetrates the cell and passes into the chloroplast. The light energy is intercepted by chlorophyll molecules on the granal stacks. Some of the light energy is converted to chemical energy. During this process, a phosphate is added to a molecule to cause the formation of ATP.