Photosynthesis Notes (Cont.) e@ The Light-Independent (Dark) Reaction Summing up the light-dependent Reacti —_—— + + + + ‘The light-dependent reaction takes place in the and along the membrane of the chloroplast. The purpose of the light-dependent reaction is to produce for the light-independent (dark) reaction. ‘Summing up the Dark Reaction: ——— + + + + Enters the cycle ‘The dark reaction takes place in the of the chloroplast. The fluid contains no membranes, however is full of important which play a key role in the Calvin Cycle. The Calvin Cycle (named in honor of - Nobel Prize 1940s. fhe dark reaction requires a substantial input of energy because it is endergonic or In other words, is at a much lower energy state than This energy input comes from and produced during the light reaction. The production of these two molecules essentially comes from C; Photosynthe: jamed after the First Oranic Molecule formed) AKA Catvin@cre_ Son PU 2 ALA: Vig Tndagendane exea The Calvin Cycle aka Dark Reaction aka Light-Independent Reaction aka C, Pathway As enters the Calvin Cycle, the process is known as carbon dioxide (or carboxylation). The enzyme “fixes” CO2 by combining it with a 5-C sugar known as RUBP. Once the two are combined, a___-carbon sugar is formed which is immediately split into two 3-C sugars. It is this 3-C molecule that gives the Pathway its name. In the next reaction, all six of these sugars receive a group from This is how ATP “fuels” the reaction as these sugars need to be in order to fit with the proper In the 3¢4 reaction is oxidized (loses ). These bind to the 3” sugar which causes it to lose a so that, once again, it can fit with the corresponding The resulting molecule is a__-Carbon sugar known as . One out of every 6 times, a leaves the Calvin Cycle and becomes a (generic) sugar, named so because it can enter a number of different pathways which lead to the production of a variety of compounds that a plant needs to make. Because glucose contains _ carbons, it would take G3P molecules to generate one glucose. Five out of six times, the molecule continues through the Calvin Cycle. ATP is used fone more time in the final reaction to G3P to ribulose biphosphate ) and the cycle begins again as another enters the pathway. Photorespiration: A Problem for C; Plants? ' Most scientists agree that plants moved onto land approximately million years ago. One of the major obstacles a terrestrial plant faces is (or loss of water). There are small openings in the lower layer of a plant leaf called Plants must open their stomata to take in from the atmosphere so that they can make There is a trade- off, however. When stomata open, plants lose vapor as well. Many C3 plants partially close thei on days. Even closing these structures a little can interrupt the Cycle, since levels inside plant cells will begin to A In addition, rubisco (the enzyme that normally “fixes” CO.) has a high affinity for oxygen. So, if plants close their stomata (even partially), CO2 becomes scarce enough that rubisco begins to fix instead. Essentially, no (a precursor molecule to organic compounds) is ever made. Instead, a 2- carbon product exits the chloroplasts and heads for the plant Here, the molecule is split and a byproduct is. (hence the name ). Unlike normal respiration, however, no is made. In fact, in photorespiration, ATP is In addition, photorespiration produces no (or other carbon-based molecules). So, why would plants have retained a genetic code that leads to such a counterproductive trait? According to one hypothesis, photorespiration is evolutionary. . Some scientists think that this negative effect would not have been an issue millions of years ago when first evolved. Scientists think that earth’s primitive atomosphere contained very little Without a certain amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, would not have =e3 existed early on. Therefore, there wouldn’t have been any advantage for this enzyme to have no affinity for e Photorespiration does, in fact, drain as much as 50% of the carbon fixed by the Calvin cycle for C3 plants such as rice, wheat, and soybeans. Lower carbon fixation means lower production. Just think about how much more food we could produce by genetically altering plants to produce an enzyme that has no affinity for yet still fixes dioxide! C, Photosynthesis (An Easy Solution?) ‘The C4 plants include several thousand species found in at least 19 plant familes. Some include: and The C4 pathway is dependent on unique leaf anatomy. There are two distinct types of photosynthetic cells: and ________celis. in Cs plants, the Calvin cycle is confined to cells. However, C, plants have an “extra” pathway, known as the the riesophyll cells. They also have an enzyme that Cs plants lack. This enzyme is known as Pep carboxylase has a much higher affinity for than rubisco and has no affinity for . So, these plants avoid completely. When the stomata of C4 plants partially close on days and levels get low, PEP carboxylase can still fix CO2. It does so by incorporating it into a 4-C molecule (such as malate). This 4-C pathway that takes place in eats fos trove (cytoplasmic extensions) into a bundle sheath cell. The Z-C molecule then releases so always has access to a fair amount of carbon dioxide and the eycle can continue normally. So, it makes sense that Cy plants are found in hot regions with intense Cy Paahicuy ESPe0, Cam Drscoyniresised CAM Photosynthesis — Another Solution to Hot, Dry Environments A different type of photosynthetic adaptation exists in succulent é0. storing) plants such as € and_,A& i These plants open their S40 m gto at night and close them during the day, khus minitniding loss. When CAM plants take in CO; at night, they must temporarily “store” this precious carbon resource since there is no “fuel” coming from the reaction. The CO; can be stored as a number of organic acids (depending on the plant species). This type of CO; fixation is known as crussulacean acid metabolism (CAM), named after the plant family C"°( j Ke, | cells of CAM plants store the organic acids until morning when and fac fecome available through sha T____ reactions. When these molecules become available, CO, released from the organic acids and the C.Z\“1 A) cycle functions just like in a C; plant. Figure 10.18 The Calvin cycle won a 1 = Oragie Compounds 6 Ge