BSCI170 Lecture Notes - Jan Baptist Van Helmont, Stromatolite, Cyanobacteria
Document Summary
Fossilized cyanobacteria: stromatolite: 3. 4 billion years old, western australia. Photosynthesis: process that allows the tree to grow (add mass) by pulling substances out of the air, biochemical process for building carbohydrates from sunlight and co2, carbohydrates, structural components, precursors to other macromolecular subunits, source of cellular energy. 1st law of thermodynamics: energy can be converted from one form to another but cannot be created or destroyed. In photosynthesis, light energy from the sun is converted into chemical energy: photosynthesis nourishes the entire living world as we know it either directly or indirectly. The importance of photosynthesis: 300,000,000,000,000,000 cubes every year. Two basic metabolic models: autotrophs: self-feeders/producers, produce organic molecules from co2 in air, photoautotrophs: use light energy to drive the process. Autotrophs vs. heterotrophs: heterotrophs: other feeders, unable to make their own food, extract food from producers, consumers, examples, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers. Eukaryotic photosynthesis occurs in chloroplasts: organelles specialized for ps.
