Why does the stroma surround the thylakoids

Try explaining this process to a partner. The light-independent phase takes place in the stroma of the chloroplast. This happens in three major stages. The reactants above are required to complete this process.

What are the products of the light independent phase? For each of the products and reactants in the chemical reaction for photosynthesis written below, identify where it was either produced or consumed. Maria Morrow College of the Redwoods. Anatomy of a Chloroplast Chloroplasts are surrounded by at least two membranes. Light-dependent Phase: The electron Transport Chain This phase is called the light-dependent phase because to begin this process, a particle of light, called a photon , of the correct wavelength must be absorbed by a molecule of chlorophyll a, embedded in a complex called photosystem II PSII.

Light-independent Phase: The Calvin Cycle The light-independent phase takes place in the stroma of the chloroplast. This breaks into two 3-carbon molecules of 3-PGA. For every six G3P made, only one goes on to make glucose, the rest must be recycled. Regeneration : To keep the cycle going, RuBP must be regenerated.

Reactants Products Light dependent Light independent. Just like the structure of the mitochondria was important to its ability to perform aerobic cellular respiration, the structure of the chloroplast allows the process of photosynthesis to take place. Both the light-dependent reactions and the Calvin cycle take place inside of the chloroplast.

Unless otherwise noted, images on this page are licensed under CC-BY 4. Text adapted from: OpenStax , Concepts of Biology. OpenStax CNX. Skip to content In plants, photosynthesis takes place primarily in leaves, which consist of many layers of cells and have differentiated top and bottom sides.

Figure 1 Not all cells of a leaf carry out photosynthesis. Cells within the middle layer of a leaf have chloroplasts, which contain the photosynthetic apparatus.

Figure 2 Tomato leaf stomate singular of stomata. Vacuoles are membrane-bound sacs that function in storage and transport. The membrane of a vacuole does not fuse with the membranes of other cellular components. Additionally, some agents such as enzymes within plant vacuoles break down macromolecules. Previously, we mentioned vacuoles as essential components of plant cells.

If you look at Figure 2b, you will see that plant cells each have a large central vacuole that occupies most of the area of the cell. Have you ever noticed that if you forget to water a plant for a few days, it wilts? As the central vacuole shrinks, it leaves the cell wall unsupported.

This loss of support to the cell walls of plant cells results in the wilted appearance of the plant. The central vacuole also supports the expansion of the cell. When the central vacuole holds more water, the cell gets larger without having to invest a lot of energy in synthesizing new cytoplasm.

You can rescue wilted celery in your refrigerator using this process.