Control properties of the Calvin photosynthesis cycle at physiological carbon dioxide concentrations

A previously described kinetic model for the Calvin cycle and ancillary pathway of starch production in the chloroplast of C3 plants has been extended so that it becomes applicable under physiological conditions where there is a competition between carbon dioxide and oxygen for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rubisco). The modified model is shown to account for the observed dependencies of the rate of carbon dioxide assimilation in leaves on the concentrations of carbon dioxide, oxygen, and rubisco. The predictions of the model are examined with particular regard to the control characteristics of the photosynthetic process of carbohydrate formation under physiological conditions.