Consider the following statements regarding photosynthesis in higher plants: 1. The light-dependent reactions take place in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts and generate ATP and NADPH. 2. The light-independent Calvin cycle occurs in the stroma and utilizes carbon dioxide to synthesize glucose. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Photosynthesis is divided into light reactions occurring on thylakoid membranes where photophosphorylation produces chemical energy carriers ATP and reducing power NADPH, and dark reactions in the stroma where carbon dioxide is fixed into sugars via the Calvin cycle. Both statements correctly summarize the two main stages of oxygenic photosynthesis. Melvin Calvin was awarded the Nobel Prize for mapping the carbon reduction cycle. Chlorophyll pigments absorb photons primarily in the red and blue regions.