Photosynthetic

Adaptations: C4 Cycle and

CAM
Prepared by: Group 7 (Cabatingan, Ocaya,
Cardente, Guillermo, and Andamon)
 Introduction
- Hot and dry environments, such as the desert, causes the
stomata (pores in plants that allow gas exchange) of plants that
live there to close, in order to reduce water.
- This prevents CO2 (carbon dioxide) from entering the leaf, thus
decreasing CO2 inside the plant while the level of O 2 (oxygen)
increases, produced by the light-dependent reactions.
- When this happens, the enzyme RuBisCO, which actually has a
stronger attraction for oxygen, will bind and accept oxygen to
RuBP, forming one molecule of 3PGA and a two-carbon
compound, which splits into CO2 and H2O (water), in a process
called photorespiration.
 Photorespiration
- Produces no food and generates no ATP (adenosine
triphosphate).
- Leads to a net loss of carbon and nitrogen (as ammonia),
slowing plant growth.
- Refers to a process in plant metabolism where the enzyme
RuBisCO oxygenates RuBP, wasting some of the energy
produced by photosynthesis.
 C4 Cycle
- C4 carbon fixation or the Hatch-
Slack pathway is a photosynthetic
process in some plants.
- It is the first step in extracting
carbon from carbon dioxide.
- Is just a type of plant that uses a specific photosynthesis
mechanism in order to avoid photorespiration.
- Bundle sheath cells A layer of cells in plant leaves and
stems that forms a sheath surrounding the vascular
bundles. In C4 plants, the bundle sheath cells contain
chloroplasts and are the site of the Calvin Cycle.
- An enzyme in the carboxylases responsible for the
formation of four-carbon compound oxaloacetate by
catalyzing the binding of one molecule of carbon
dioxide to the three-carbon compound.
- PEP carboxylase is vital in C4 and CAM plants during
photosynthesis.