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Multiple Choice

Which energy source powers carbon fixation in photoautotrophs?

In photoautotrophs, carbon fixation is powered by energy captured from sunlight and converted into usable chemical energy inside the cell. The light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis harvest light to produce ATP and NADPH. These energy carriers then fuel the Calvin cycle, where CO2 is fixed into organic molecules. Without light, the cell cannot generate the ATP and NADPH needed to drive carbon fixation, so light energy is the source that ultimately powers the process. Nuclear energy isn’t involved in cellular metabolism, heat energy isn’t used directly to drive the carbon-fixation reactions, and while chemical energy is utilized, it is stored in ATP and NADPH that themselves come from light-driven processes.

In photoautotrophs, carbon fixation is powered by energy captured from sunlight and converted into usable chemical energy inside the cell. The light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis harvest light to produce ATP and NADPH. These energy carriers then fuel the Calvin cycle, where CO2 is fixed into organic molecules. Without light, the cell cannot generate the ATP and NADPH needed to drive carbon fixation, so light energy is the source that ultimately powers the process.

Nuclear energy isn’t involved in cellular metabolism, heat energy isn’t used directly to drive the carbon-fixation reactions, and while chemical energy is utilized, it is stored in ATP and NADPH that themselves come from light-driven processes.