Photosystems

Definition

Photosystems are functional and structural units of protein complexes involved in photosynthesis that together carry out the primary photochemistry of photosynthesis. They capture photons from sunlight and convert it into chemical energy.

Related terms

Pigments: These are molecules that absorb specific wavelengths (energies) of light and reflect all others. They're like the actual dish part of our satellite dish analogy.

Reaction Center: This is where the photochemistry takes place - it's like the receiver on our satellite dish where signals get converted into usable data.

Antenna Complex: This is a system of chlorophyll molecules in a photosystem which collects light and feeds it to the reaction center - think about it as cables connecting different parts of our satellite dish for signal transmission.