BRAINCAKECarbon Dioxide Concentration as a Limiting Factor
Carbon dioxide is a substrate of the Calvin cycle. The enzyme RuBisCO combines carbon dioxide with ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP), a 5-carbon compound, to form two molecules of glycerate 3-phosphate (GP). This is carbon fixation.
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is only about 0.04%, so on bright, warm days it is often the limiting factor. As carbon dioxide concentration increases, the rate of photosynthesis increases, because RuBisCO fixes carbon dioxide faster. The rate levels off at around 0.1% as another factor, such as light intensity or temperature, becomes limiting. Very high concentrations cause stomata to close, which reduces the rate.
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Key terms in this lesson
- tp
- The 3-carbon sugar phosphate formed by reduction of GP in the Calvin cycle, used to regenerate RuBP and to make organic molecules.
More in Energy for Biological Processes
- Chemiosmosis
- Calvin Cycle
- Limiting Factors of Photosynthesis
- Light Intensity as a Limiting Factor
- Temperature as a Limiting Factor
- Interpreting Limiting Factor Graphs
- Effect of Limiting Factors on the Calvin Cycle
- Uses of Triose Phosphate
All 17 lessons in Energy for Biological Processes · All OCR A-level Biology topics