The light-independent reactions still depend on the light reactions because they need:

1. Light-independent means the reactions do not use photons directly, not that they run alone. 2. The energy carriers that move energy from light-dependent to light-independent reactions can be thought of as full because they are rich in energy. 3. The light reactions produce ATP and NADPH, which are then used in the Calvin cycle. 4. Although the light-independent reactions do not use light as a reactant, they require the products of the light-dependent reactions to function. 5. NADP+ and ADP are the spent forms, so that option reverses the direction of the exchange. _Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 8 'Photosynthesis', sections 8.1-8.3_