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may i know what are c2'c3'c4 plants?
Plants which use only the Calvin cycle for fixing the carbon dioxide from the air are known as C3 plants. In the first step of the cycle CO2 reacts with RuBP to produce two 3-carbon molecules of 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA)C3 plants are most abundant plants. They fix carbon dioxide and RuBisCo ( 5-carbon sugar) into 3-phosphoglycerate.

 C3 plants like a lot of carbon dioxide as well as moderate light and temperatures so their stomata can stay open during the day for photosynthesis.

C4 plants are similar to C3 but more efficient because they minimize photorespiration. They trap CO2 in mesophyll cells and bundle sheath where its converted into a 4-carbon organic acid (malate) which then can be converted back to CO2 in bundle sheath cells. After this C4 utilize the same pathway as C3 plants

CAM plants usually live in deserts and close their stomata during the day and open it up during the night to prevent photorespiration (water loss). CAM plants convert CO2 to malate which is stored in their vacuoles. During the day when stomata is closed preventing CO2 intake, malate is transferred from vacuoles and converted back to CO2 and used by RuBisCo in the Calvin cycle.

In short, C3 plants just take in CO2 and throw it right away to the calvin cycle. C4 plants take in the CO2 but convert it into malate and store it mesophyll cells and bundle sheath then used in the calvin cycle. CAM plants are very similar to C4 plants, only their stomata is closed during the day and open during the night. CAM plants store the converted CO2 (malate) in vacuoles and use it during the day.


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