Fig. 4.

Timing and dynamics of glycogen accumulation over a full diurnal cycle. After a brief lag phase, cells accumulate glycogen during the light period and mobilize it as a source of carbon and energy during the night. The model makes no assumptions about the specific timing and amount of glycogen accumulation. Rather, glycogen accumulation emerges as a trade-off between conflicting objectives. Shown are absolute amounts of stored glycogen per gram dry weight, as well as the carbon partitioning. Carbon partitioning is defined as the ratio, on a per carbon basis, between the flux toward glycogen synthesis and the carbon assimilation (RuBisCO) flux.