Remember what it means to be a plant…

 Need to produce all organic molecules

necessary for growth
 carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids
Photosynthesis:  Need to store chemical energy (ATP)
The Calvin Cycle produced from light reactions
Life from Air  in a more stable form
 that can be moved around plant
 saved for a rainy day

carbon + water + energy  glucose + oxygen

dioxide
2007-2008
6CO2 + 6H2O + light  C6H12O6 + 6O2
energy

Light reactions How is that helpful?

 Convert solar energy to chemical  Want to make C6H12O6 Remember
what
energy  synthesis
Respiration
ATP  How? From what?
 ATP  energy ultimately is—
What raw materials are OXIDIZING
 NADPH  reducing power available? glucose down
to CO2!
 What can we do now? CO2
NADPH
carbon fixation reduces CO2
  build stuff !! NADP
C6H12O6 NADP
photosynthesis

From CO2  C6H12O6 From Light reactions to Calvin cycle

 CO2 has very little chemical energy  Calvin cycle, the light independent reactions.
 fully oxidized NOT THE DARK REACTIONS!
 chloroplast stroma
 C6H12O6 contains a lot of chemical energy
 Need products of light reactions to drive
 highly reduced synthesis reactions
 Synthesis = endergonic process  ATP
stroma

 put in a lot of energy  NADPH

 Reduction of CO2  C6H12O6 proceeds in

many small uphill steps ATP
 each catalyzed by a specific enzyme
 using energy stored in ATP & NADPH
thylakoid
 C
C
C glucose
Calvin cycle Remember C-C-C-C-C-C
2 ATP
C C C C C
C C C C C
1C CO2
1. Carbon fixation
triose
3. Regeneration
C C C C C phosphate? 2 ADP
of RuBP C C C C C C
RuBP 5C RuBisCo C C C C C C
fructose-1,6bP
starch, ribulose bisphosphate
glycolysis P-C-C-C-C-C-C-P
sucrose, 3 ATP ribulose 6C C C C C C C
cellulose bisphosphate triose phosphate =
& more 3 ADP glyceraldehyde
carboxylase
DHAP TP 3-phosphate

used
5C C C C P-C-C-C C-C-C-P
C C C
to make Triose phosphate
C C C
2 NAD+
(G3P)
glucose PGA 3C C C C 2
TP phosphoglycerate
C C C C C C C C C
C=C=C C C C 3C C C C
C C C 4 ADP
C C C 2. Reduction 6 ATP
H H H
|
–
|
–
| C C C 6 NADPH 6 ADP pyruvate 4 ATP
C
| C
| C
|
C C C 3C Photosynthesis C-C-C
H H H
6 NADP

To TP and Beyond! RuBisCo

 Triose Phosphate =  Enzyme which fixes carbon from air
Glyceraldehyde-3-P  ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase
 end product of Calvin cycle  the most important enzyme in the world!
 energy rich 3 carbon sugar  it makes life out of air!
 “C3 photosynthesis”  definitely the most abundant enzyme
 TP is an important intermediate It’s not easy
being green!
 TP   glucose   carbohydrates
  lipids   phospholipids, fats, waxes
  amino acids   proteins
  nucleic acids   DNA, RNA

C C
C
Accounting Calvin cycle
C C C C C CO2
 The accounting is complicated C C C C C
1C
1. Carbon fixation
3. Regeneration
C C C C C
 3 turns of Calvin cycle = 1 G3P of RuBP C C C C C C
RuBP 5C RuBisCo C C C C C C
3 CO2  1 G3P (3C) starch, ribulose bisphosphate

sucrose, 3 ATP ribulose 6C C C C C C C
cellulose bisphosphate
& more 3 ADP carboxylase
 6 turns of Calvin cycle = 1 C6H12O6 (6C) 5C C C C
used
6 CO2  1 C6H12O6 (6C)
C C C
 to make Triose phosphate C C C
glucose PGA 3C
 1 C6H12O6 TP C C C
 18 ATP + 12 NADPH C C C C C C phosphoglycerate C C C
C=C=C C C C 3C C C C
C C C
 any ATP left over from light reactions C C C 2. Reduction 6 ATP
H H H
will be used elsewhere by the cell |
|
| |
C–C–C
| |
C C C 6 NADPH
3C
6 ADP
H H H C C C
6 NADP
Photosynthesis summary Light Reactions
 Light reactions H2O + light  ATP + NADPH + O
2
 produced ATP energy
 produced NADPH H2O
sunlight
 produces ATP
 consumed H2O
 produces NADPH
 produced O2 as byproduct
 releases O2 as a
 Calvin cycle waste product
Energy Building
 consumed CO2 Reactions
 produced TP (sugar)
NADPH
 regenerated ADP
ATP
 regenerated NADP ADP NADP
O2

Calvin Cycle Putting it all together

CO2 + ATP + NADPH  C6H12O6 + ADP + NADP light
CO2 + H2O + energy  C6H12O6 + O2

CO2  builds sugars sunlight

H2O CO2
Plants make both:
 uses ATP &  energy
ADP
NADPH ADP
 ATP & NADPH
NADP Sugar  recycles ADP Energy NADP Sugar  sugars
Building Building Building
Reactions & NADP Reactions Reactions
NADPH  back to make NADPH
more ATP &
ATP NADPH ATP

sugars O2 sugars

even though
this equation
is a bit of a lie…
Energy cycle
sun it makes a
Supporting a biosphere
better story
 On global scale,
photosynthesis is the
Photosynthesis
light
most important process
CO2 + H2O + energy  C6H12O6 + O2
for the continuation of life on Earth
plants
CO2 H2O glucose O2  each year photosynthesis…
animals, plants  captures 121 billion tons of CO2
ATP
C6H12O6 + O2  energy + CO2 + H2O  synthesizes 160 billion tons of carbohydrate

Cellular Respiration  heterotrophs are dependent on plants as

food source for fuel & raw materials
ATP
The poetic perspective…
 All the solid material of every plant If plants can do it…
was built by sunlight out of thin air
You can learn it!
 All the solid material of every animal
was built from plant material Ask Questions!!

air sun
Then all the plants, cats,
dogs, elephants & people …
are really particles of air woven
together by strands of sunlight!
2007-2008

Summary of photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O + light  C6H12O6 + 6O2
energy
 Where did the CO2 come from?
 Where did the CO2 go?
 Where did the H2O come from?
 Where did the H2O go?
 Where did the energy come from?
 What’s the energy used for?
 What will the C6H12O6 be used for?
 Where did the O2 come from?
 Where will the O2 go?
 What else is involved…not listed in this equation?