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Energy for Biological Processes

Absorption and action spectra

  • 4 things to know
  • Papers 1 and 3

Overview

Recall questions on absorption and action spectra and why their match shows that pigments drive photosynthesis, how pigments complement each other, and investigating the effect of light wavelength on photosynthesis with filters or LEDs.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How would you expect results from an investigation into light wavelength and photosynthesis rate to relate to the absorption spectrum of photosynthetic pigments?

Key term

What does an absorption spectrum show?

Key term

What is plotted on the axes of an absorption spectrum?

Key term

Define an action spectrum.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What does an absorption spectrum show?

    Model answer

    The wavelengths of light absorbed by a pigment, plotted as absorbance against wavelength.

  2. 2

    What is plotted on the axes of an absorption spectrum?

    Model answer

    Absorbance on the y-axis against wavelength on the x-axis.

  3. 3

    Define an action spectrum.

    Model answer

    A graph showing the rate of photosynthesis at different wavelengths of light, plotted as photosynthetic rate against wavelength.

  4. 4

    What variable is measured on the y-axis of an action spectrum?

    Model answer

    The rate of photosynthesis.

  5. 5

    What evidence supports the conclusion that photosynthetic pigments are responsible for driving photosynthesis?

    Model answer

    The close correlation between the absorption spectrum and the action spectrum shows that wavelengths absorbed by pigments correspond to wavelengths that drive photosynthesis.

  6. 6

    Why does the similarity between absorption and action spectra indicate that pigments drive photosynthesis?

    Model answer

    Because the wavelengths of light that are most strongly absorbed by pigments are the same wavelengths that produce the highest rates of photosynthesis.

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