CAM photosynthesis

CAM photosynthesis is a carbon-fixation pathway in which plants take up carbon dioxide mainly at night and store it as organic acids. During the day, they release that carbon dioxide internally for photosynthesis while keeping leaf pores mostly closed.

Stomata: Adjustable pores in plant surfaces that regulate gas exchange and water loss. CAM plants open stomata mainly at night, reducing daytime water loss.
C3 carbon fixation: The common carbon-fixation pathway in which Rubisco initially incorporates carbon dioxide into a three-carbon compound. Unlike CAM, C3 plants generally take up carbon dioxide during daylight.
Agave: A genus of succulent plants native to the Americas, many of which use CAM photosynthesis. Agave illustrates CAM in a crop grown for fiber, sweeteners, and spirits.
Benjamin Heyne: A Danish botanist and physician who described daily acidity changes in Indian plants in the early nineteenth century. His observations were among the first documented clues to nocturnal acid accumulation.
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase: An enzyme that fixes bicarbonate onto phosphoenolpyruvate to form oxaloacetate. It captures carbon dioxide at night when CAM stomata are open.
C4 carbon fixation: A carbon-fixation pathway that first forms four-carbon acids and concentrates carbon dioxide near Rubisco. C4 and CAM share four-carbon intermediates but separate carbon concentration in different ways.
Opuntia: A genus of cactus commonly called prickly pear, with many species that use CAM photosynthesis. Its edible pads and fruit show how CAM plants can provide food in dry regions.
Nicolas-Théodore de Saussure: A Swiss chemist who studied plant chemistry and helped establish the role of carbon dioxide in plant growth. His work provided an early framework for interpreting plant carbon uptake.
Malate: A four-carbon organic acid that is an ionized form of malic acid. CAM plants store much of their night-fixed carbon in vacuoles as malate.
Crassulacean acid metabolism: The expanded name of CAM, a photosynthetic pathway with predominantly nocturnal carbon uptake. The name comes from its early discovery in plants of the Crassulaceae family.

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