Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Light
The Light
At midcycle, two 3-carbon molecules are removed from the Calvin cycle,
forming building blocks for plant metabolism and growth. The remaining ten
molecules are converted back into six 5-carbon molecules, combining with six
new carbon dioxide molecules to initiate the next cycle.
The Calvin Cycle is a process that uses six carbon dioxide molecules to produce
a single 6-carbon sugar molecule. This process removes carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere and produces energy-rich sugars, which plants use to synthesize
macromolecules for growth and development. The light-dependent reactions
trap sunlight's chemical energy, while the light-independent reactions synthesize
stable, high-energy sugars from carbon dioxide and water.