Question

How do autotrophs capture the energy in sunlight?

Answer 1

The word autotroph is made up of two words, Auto meaning self and Troph refers to nutrition or nourishment. Thus, autotrophs are self-nourishing organisms. Autotrophs are generally referred to as plants.

Complete answer:
The plants prepare their food with the help of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of the formation of glucose by plants in the presence of sunlight and water.
The sunlight is absorbed by the chlorophyll which is the green pigment. The solar energy of the sun is converted into ATP. The process of photosynthesis occurs in two different steps. These two steps are the Light reaction and the Dark reaction.
The light reaction is also known as Hill’s reaction. It is a light-dependent process. It occurs in the Grana portion of the chloroplast. During the light reaction, the solar energy of sunlight is converted into chemical energy to ATP. This happens by the photolysis of water which yields protons and electrons. The electrons pass through a series of electron carriers. During this passage, the electrons lose their energy. This lost energy is converted into ATP. The protons reduce the NADP to NADPH.

Note :
The Dark reaction is the carbon dioxide fixation process or carbon dioxide reduction process. It is also known as PCR or Photosynthetic Carbon Reduction. This process was first observed by Melvin Calvin in his experiment on Chlorella and Scenedesmus. It is a light-independent process and does not require sunlight. But it depends on the products of the Light reaction for the reduction of carbon dioxide. It occurs in the stroma portion of the chloroplast.