The Calvin Cycle: Carbon Fixation, GP Reduction, and RuBP Regeneration
Students will investigate the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and water, understanding their importance for sustaining life on Earth.
Key Questions
- Trace the fate of CO₂ through the three stages of the Calvin cycle — carboxylation of RuBP by RuBisCO, reduction of 3-phosphoglycerate, and regeneration of RuBP — accounting for the stoichiometry of ATP and NADPH consumed per CO₂ fixed.
- Analyse why the Calvin cycle depends on the ATP and NADPH produced in the light-dependent reactions, and predict the immediate and downstream metabolic consequences for the cycle if illumination is abruptly eliminated.
- Evaluate the experimental evidence from Calvin's ¹⁴CO₂ pulse-chase autoradiography experiments that established the sequence of intermediates in the light-independent pathway and identified 3-phosphoglycerate as the first stable product of carbon fixation.
MOE Syllabus Outcomes
Suggested Methodologies
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