A Mathematical Skeleton Model of Photosynthetic Oscillations

A simple model of photosynthetic oscillations is proposed and analysed. The model shows that interaction of ATP generation by photophosphorylation and ATP consumption in the two kinases of the reductive pentose phosphate cycle is capable of producing oscillations with observed frequency and damping. Simulation of the effect of the leaf phosphate status on the persistence of oscillations shows qualitative agreement with observations. The simplicity of the suggested model aids intuitive understanding of the modelling results and promotes elucidation of the mechanism of photosynthetic oscillations.