Question

Calling the biosynthetic phase as the dark reaction is a misnomer? Discuss.

Answer 1

Part 1: Biosynthetic phase
The phase of photosynthesis where carbon dioxide is fixed to produce glucose molecule is called biosynthetic phase. The biosynthetic phase can occur in the presence or absence of light, but for the process to happen, presence of light is not mandatory. Thus this phase can be called light independent reaction, rather than dark reaction. The term dark reaction is misleading as it implies that a biosynthetic phase can occur only in the absence of light. But this isn't the case, thus dark reaction is a misnomer for the biosynthetic phase.