CAM

CAM is the acronym for Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, named for the Crassulaceae plant family in which it was discovered.

The chemical reaction of CO2 accumulation is similar to that of C4 plants, but in CAM plants CO2 fixation and its assimilation are separated temporally rather than spatially. CAM plants occur mainly in arid regions. The opening of the stomata to take up CO2 is always connected with large losses of water. To reduce this trans-stomatal loss during intense sun (transpiration via the cuticle continues) CAM plants utilize a mechanism that permits the uptake of carbon dioxide during the night. Prefixed CO2 is stored in the vacuoles as malate (and isocitrate) and is subsequently utilized during the daytime in the C-3 cycle.

Table ~ comparison of C-3, C-4, CAM plants : Table ~ Comparison Photosynthesis Respiration : Table ~ Comparison Plant Bacterial Photosynthesis : Table ~ Photosynthesis Overview : Microtextbook Carbon Assimilation :: image_Calvin cycle : image_reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle : image_reductive CoEnzymeA cycle : image_3-hydroxypropionate cycle :: Saccharomyces cerevisiae carbon monoxide dehydrogenase pathway : Arabidopsis thaliana carbon monoxide dehydrogenase pathway : MetaCyc reductive acetyl coenzyme A pathway :