How are the light reactions and dark reactions related in photosynthesis?
Bridget Sky Photosynthesis of photoautotrophs can be divided into two major processes: 1. Energy transduction or primary photochemical phase and 2. Carbon assimilation or biosynthetic phase During the energy transduction reactions, light energy is converted to chemical energy to produce the assimilatory powers in the form of ATP and the coenzyme, NADPH. The energy transduction reactions are also called the light reactions of photosynthesis. ATP and NADPH generated by the energy transduction reactions subsequently provide energy and reducing power for the carbon assimilation reactions. During the carbon assimilation reactions, fully oxidized carbon atoms from carbon dioxide are fixed (covalently attached) to organic acceptor molecules and then reduced and rearranged to form hexose sugars (carbohydrates) and other organic compounds. These are required for building a living cell. The primary pathway for carbon dioxide fixation in most phototrophs is the Calvin cycle. Unfortunately, becaus
