THE CALVIN CYCLE

Light independent reactions or the calvin

cycle known as second stage of photosynthesis.
The calvin cycle needs carbon dioxide to
synthesizing sugar. In plants carbon dioxide
enters the interior of a leaf via pores called
stomata and diffuses into the stroma –the site of
the calvin cycle reaction. The reactions are also
called light independent reactions because the
reaction are not directly driven by light.

The calvin cycle takes ATP and NADPH from the light reactions to convert carbon
dioxide and used to build three-carbon sugars. It takes place in the stroma unlike the light
reaction take place in thylakoid membrane.
The calvin cycle have three main
steps, they are carbon fixation, reduction,
and regeneration of the staring molecule.
Carbon fixation, three molecules of
carbon dioxide is fixed by the enzyme
RuBisCo that catalyzes the carboxylation
and deavage of Rubp (ribulose – 1,5
biphosphate) into two molecules of a
three carbon compound (3 –
phosphoglyceric acid). Reduction is the
second step, ATP and NADPH are used
to convert the 3–PGA into a three carbon
sugars (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphat /
G3P), in this step reduction gets name because NADPH donates electrons or reduces a three
carbon intermediate to make G3P. The last, regeneration. Some G3P molecules go to make
glucose, while others must be recycled to regenerate the Rubp acceptor. Regeneration requires
ATP and involves a complex network of reactions.