Chapter 9.5, Problem 10LO

Summary Introduction

To compare: The C₄ and CAM pathways.

Introduction: Botanists use C₃, C₄, and CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) as a method to classify Earth’s plants into different categories. This is based on the first carbon compounds to which CO₂ is fixed. The majority of land plants use the C₃ pathway. In higher plants, certain respiratory processes take place where the plants’ uptake oxygen in the presence of sunlight and release CO₂ into the atmosphere. This process is entirely different from the photosynthesis process.