Name: Mark Brian P.

Flores Date Submitted: November 23, 2020

Course/Section: BSED – SCIENCE

Calvin Cycle Reaction of Photosynthesis

Reflection Paper

In general the purpose of Calvin Cycle is to convert carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere into carbohydrates or the sugars which the plant needs to supremacy its cellular
activities and construct new plant structures. As I watched the video the Calvin Cycle occur
within the stroma of the chloroplast. Calvin Cycle use the ATP and NADPH produced by the
light reactions to covert the CO2 to carbohydrates. The Calvin Cycle can be divided into three
phases, first we have carbon dioxide fixation, next is carbon dioxide reduction and lastly the
regeneration of RuBP. I learned that in the first phase which is carbon dioxide fixation,
captures the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere so it can be used in the reactions. To do
this, the carbon dioxide is attached to RuBP, a five carbon molecule. The enzyme used in this
reaction is called Rubisco and the outcome of the reaction is an unstable 6-carbon molecule
that rapidly splits into two 3-carbon molecules called 3-phosphoglycerate or 3PG.

The next is converting the carbon dioxide to carbohydrates, in this phase it is called
the carbon dioxide reduction phase, because we are adding electrons and energy to the
carbon dioxide molecule. During this phase, a sequence of reactions uses NADPH and some
of the ATP from the light reactions. These molecules apply the needed electrons and energy
for carbon dioxide reduction. Electrons are added from NADPH and through a series of
reactions, 3PG is reduced to form G3P, a carbohydrate. ADP and NAD+ return to the
thylakoids, to be converted back ATP and NADPH by the light reaction. One of the G3P
molecules is set aside a building block for glucose. But the preponderance of the G3P
molecules move forward into the third phase of Calvin Cycle. In this phase, ATP is used to
combine the rest of G3P molecules to form RuBp molecules. This RuBp can then merge with
additional carbon dioxide molecules continuing the carbon reactions.

To form a glucose molecule, the cycle actually has to form 6 times, because each turn
of the cycle adds only one carbon atom from the inward carbon dioxide. Overall it is
important to keep in mind always that the Calvin Cycle is dependent on the Light Reaction,
which provide NADPH and ATP, which in turn provide the electrons and energy needed to
form carbohydrates.