Final answer:
Chlorophyll a and accessory pigments absorb sunlight and transfer the energy to the reaction center, where it initiates the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, resulting in the production of ATP and NADPH.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chlorophyll a and the accessory pigments of a photosystem act as an antenna by absorbing energy from sunlight and passing it on to the reaction center. This process occurs in the light-harvesting complex, which contains multiple antenna proteins that hold a mixture of 300 to 400 chlorophyll a and b molecules, as well as other pigments like carotenoids. A photon of light striking any of the pigment molecules excites that molecule.
The energy is then transferred from molecule to molecule until it reaches the reaction center, containing a pair of special chlorophyll a molecules. Upon reaching the reaction center, the light energy excites an electron from the chlorophyll a pair, which is then accepted by a primary electron acceptor. This is the first critical step in the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis.
The excited electrons must be replaced, and this occurs differently depending on the photosystem. In photosystem II (PS II), the electron comes from the splitting of water, which also releases oxygen as a byproduct. In photosystem I (PS I), the electron is sourced from the chloroplast electron transport chain. These processes contribute to the generation of ATP and NADPH, molecules essential for the subsequent light-independent reactions, or the Calvin cycle.