# Photosynthesis
Status: public
Confidence: medium (0.78) (verified)
Last verified: 2026-05-28
Generation: ai_structured


## TL;DR

Photosynthesis stores light energy in chemical bonds. In plants, light-dependent reactions generate ATP and NADPH, and the Calvin cycle uses that chemical energy to fix carbon dioxide.

## Core Explanation

The process links energy conversion to the carbon cycle: light reactions capture energy, while carbon-fixation reactions build carbohydrate precursors. C3, C4, and CAM plants differ in how they concentrate or time carbon dioxide fixation, but the article keeps those pathway details secondary.

## Evidence Notes

The previous version mixed in unrelated React documentation and unsupported 2025 review DOIs. This version uses OpenStax Biology for the directly stated textbook-level claims.

## Further Reading

- [Overview of Photosynthesis - OpenStax Biology 2e](https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/8-1-overview-of-photosynthesis)
- [The Light-Dependent Reactions of Photosynthesis - OpenStax Biology 2e](https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/8-2-the-light-dependent-reactions-of-photosynthesis)

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