BI111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Bacteriorhodopsin, Phytochrome, Chemical Energy
Document Summary
Using light for both energy and information. The reason there is life on earth. Ranges from gamma rays to radio waves; visible light and the wavelengths used for photosynthesis occupy a narrow band of the spectrum. The longer the wavelength, the lower the energy of the photons it contains. The shorter the wavelength the higher the energy of the photons it contains. Definition of light: electromagnetic radiation that humans can detect with their eyes. A wave of discrete particles called photons. To be used, light energy must be absorbed by molecules called pigments. Colour is the result of wavelengths of light that are not absorbed by a pigment. Thrive in salt water habitats that are lethal to most other forms of life. Species of halobacterium contain a pigment-protein complex called bacteriorhodopsin, which functions as a proton pump. The pigment component of bacteriorhodopsin captures photons of light that provide energy supply needed to pump protons out of the cell.
