Photosynthesis 2 Flashcards
Light Independent Reactions names
- Calvin cycle
- Calvin Benson cycle
- Carbon fixing reactions
- Carbon reducing reactions
- Dark reactions
Dark reactions
a misnomer as the reactions
do not occur in the dark. They are sometimes
called this as the reactions do not TRAP light
but they occur in the light.
B) Light Independent Reactions what happens
-Carbon fixation:
B) Occurs in light (not in dark)
C) The energy that was trapped as ATP and NADPH in light reactions
powers the Calvin cycle and ends up in carbohydrates
D) Regeneration of substrate =
RuBP
Carbon fixation:
Carbon dioxide that enters through stomates is trapped.
Carbon from CO2 is fixed into chemical bonds of carbohydrates e.g. glucose
Regeneration of substrate in the light-independent reactions =
RuBP (Ribulose bisphosphate)
rubisco
*Rubisco is the most abundant enzyme in the world!!
*Rubisco is partially coded for by chloroplast DNA and nuclear DNA.
*Rubisco is light activated (why the reactions do not occur in dark)
*All photosynthesizing plants use Rubisco in the Calvin Cycle to make carbohydrates
( but not all plants use Rubisco to fix atmospheric CO2!)
do all plants use rubisco the fox atmospheric co2
no
Calvin Cycle step 1
Six molecules of CO2 combine with six
molecules of RuBP (ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate)
in the carbon fixing step.
calvin cycle step 2
For every 6 CO2’s fixed, one molecule of glucose
(which contains 6 carbons) is produced
calvin cycle step 3
NADPH and ATP from the light dependent
reactions supply energy and electrons that
result in the production of glucose
calvin cycle step 3
The cycle regenerates the substrate RuBP.
Photorespiration
A special type of respiration that occurs in plants
in the light (in addition to aerobic cellular
respiration)
RuBP carboxylase/oxygenase
has 3 possible substrates
- RuBP (always one of the substrates)
- CO2
- O2
co2 in
Calvin cycle (Rubisco acting as carboxylase)
o2 in
Photorespiration (Rubisco acting as oxygenase)
what 2 chemicals Compete for the Active Site
co2 and o2
Photorespiration versus Aerobic Cellular Respiration
photoresperation
Photorespiration is a seemingly
wasteful process
1. No ATP is produced
2. Release of CO2 (loss of CO2 is of
significance to plants)
3. No net carbon fixation.
4. When rubisco is active in
photorespiration, it is not
available for the Calvin cycle.
5. However allows plants that have
it (C3 plants) to survive under
hot dry conditions and helps
prevent photooxidative damage
Photorespiration versus Aerobic Cellular Respiration
Aerobic cellular respiration
- ATP produced
- Release of CO2
Does Rubisco tend to act more as a
carboxylase or as an oxygenase?
calvin cycle
carboxylase
Does Rubisco tend to act more as a
carboxylase or as an oxygenase?
photoresperation
oxygenase
Atmospheric concentrations
of o2
20-21 percent o2
Atmospheric concentrations
of co2
0.04 percent and raising
Does Rubisco tend to act more as a
carboxylase or as an oxygenase?
The high O2 concentration in the atmosphere means
that Rubisco often acts as an oxygenase Photorespiration is promoted by the relative O2 /CO2
concentrations in atmosphere
Different Photosynthetic Strategies
A. C3
B. C4
C. CAM
C4 and CAM plants have
evolved strategies
to deal with photorespiration
C3 Plants
-Produce 3-carbon compounds during first step of
atmospheric carbon fixation (3PGA)
-Use Calvin cycle to fix atmospheric CO2
* C3 plants can have much photorespiration
* If one pumps CO2 into a greenhouse or a growth
chamber with C3 plants, that will cut down on
photorespiration.