The Light-Independent Reactions: Producing Sugars
What happens during the light-independent reactions?
The ATP and NADPH formed by the light-dependent reactions contain an abundance of chemical energy, but they are not stable enough to store that energy for more than a few minutes. During the light-independent reactions, commonly referred to as the Calvin cycle, plants use the energy that ATP and NADPH contain to build stable high-energy carbohydrate compounds that can be stored for a long time. During the light-independent reactions, ATP and NADPH from the light-dependent reactions are used to produce high-energy sugars. The Calvin cycle is named after the American scientist Melvin Calvin, who worked out the details of this remarkable cycle. Follow Figure 8–11 to see each step in this set of reactions.
ZOOMING IN
LIGHT-INDEPENDENT REACTIONS
Figure 8–11 The light-independent reactions of photosynthesis take place in the stroma of the chloroplast. The reactions use ATP and NADPH from the light-dependent reactions to produce high-energy sugars such as glucose. Interpret Visuals How many molecules of ATP are needed for each “turn” of the Calvin cycle?
dTable of Contents
- Formulas and Equations
- Applying Formulas and Equations
- Mean, Median, and Mode
- Estimation
- Using Measurements in Calculations
- Effects of Measurement Errors
- Accuracy
- Precision
- Comparing Accuracy and Precision
- Significant Figures
- Calculating With Significant Figures
- Scientific Notation
- Calculating With Scientific Notation
- Dimensional Analysis
- Applying Dimensional Analysis