1. ORIGIN OF THE WORD CAM.

2.DEFINATION OF CAM PATHWAY.

3.EXAMPLES OF CAM TERRESTIAL

PLANTS.
 ORIGIN OF THE WORD CAM:

1.CAM refers to Crassulaceae Acid

Metabolism.

2.It does not include the metabolism of

crassulacean acid.

3.The term as coined by Ransom and

Thomas in 1940.

4.It was discovered by Heyne in 1804 and

later by Aubert in 1815.
 DEFINATION OF CAM:

CAM can be defined according to the following criteria:

1.Succulent Plants: They are the drought resistant plants in which the
leaves,stems,roots have become more than fleshy by the water storing tissue.

2.Tropical Origin And Xeric: Most of the CAM plants are either
epiphytes(e.g;ORCHIDS), succulent xerophytes(e.g;CACTI),
hemiepiphytes,lithophytes, wet land plants.

3.High Action Of PEP Carboxylase.

4.Diurnal fluctuation Of Organic Acid: CAM allows massive uptake of

atmospheric CO2 via PEP Carboxylase using PEP produced in glycolysis into
organic acid(mainly malic acid) at night in the cystol of photosynthetic cells. It
is then transported to the vacuoles where it is accumulated during the night.
During the day the organic acids are mainly released from the vacuoles.

5.Stomato Opening: They are shut during day to reduce transpiration but
open at night to collect CO2.
EXAMPLES OF TERRESTIAL CAM
PLANTS:
1. FEATURES OF CAM PLANTS.

2. ADAPTATIONS OF CAM PLANTS.

3. MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOTYPICAL

PLASTICITY OFCAM PATHWAY.

4. ADVANTAGES OF CAM PATHWAY.

5. DISADVANTAGES OF CAM PATHWAY.

FEATURES OF CAM PLANTS:

1. High water use efficiency.

2. High drought tolerance.
3. Tolerance to high temperatures.
4. Tolerance of high PPFD.
5. Tolerance of UV-B radiation.
6. High shoot: root and harvest index.
7. High content of non-structural carbohydrate.
8. The plant has entire shoot surface typically
photosynthetic.
 ADAPTATIONS OF CAM PLANTS:

1.CAM Plants have thick reduced leaves SA to V ratio,

thick cuticle and sunken into pits.
2.Some store water into vacuoles.
3. CAM Plants are those plants having the leaves sour in
taste during the day and become sweeter in taste during
the day.
4.Cells of CAM Plants store the organic molecules so that
CO2 was fixed into their vacuoles until morning.
5.They must have water used efficient, tolerance to
drought, high temperature, high content of non-structural
carbohydrate.
6.The number of stomata in them should be reduced.
7.They have impervious outer cuticle.
 MORPHOLOGICAL AND
PHYSIOLOGICAL PLASTICITY OF
CAM:

This feature of CAM Plants allows wide

ecophysiological amplitude of niche occupation in the
tropics. Physiological and biological plasticity appear
more responsive by having more readily reversible
variations in performance than do morphological
adaptations. This makes CAM Plants particularly fit
for multi-factor stressor network of tropical forests.
Thus, while the physiognomy of semi-deserts outside
the tropics is often determined by tall succulents
house many more CAM Plants in terms of quantity
and quality.
 ADVANTAGES OF CAM PLANTS:

1.They can grow and reproduce in regions where competition

from C 3 and C 4 plants is minimal.

2.By closing stomata during the day gaseous exchange does not
occur. This advantage also limits the total amount of
photosynthesis the plant is capable of during sunlight hours,
since at night CO2 is stockpiled in the form of crassulic acid and
when that acid is completely consumed during the following
day, no additional photosynthesis can be performed, regardless
of available water or sunlight.

3.They have advantage in dry environmental conditions.

4.It enables plants to improve H2O efficiency, helps in the

concentrations of CO2.
 DISADVANTAGES OF CAM
PATHWAY:

1.CAM photosynthesis is inheretently inefficient.

2.CAM Plants are the slowest growing plants on the

earth.

3.Tissues of CAM Plants are more complex and growth

occurs at a reduced rate, thus, they have to compete for
habitats in most climates where C 3 plants dominant.

4.CAM vegetation are very water useful, however because

of the fact stomata proceed to be closed for the duration
of the day, CAM vegetation are extra capable and
efficienthan C 3 vegetation, C 3vegetation additionally do
extra useful than CAM or C 4vegetation in the shade.
It is a carbon fixation pathway that evolved in some plants as
an adaptation to arid conditions . In a plant using CAM
mechanism the stomata in the leaves remain closed during the
daytime and open only at the night. The process of
photosynthesis is similar to that of C4 plants but instead of
spatial separation of initial PEPase fixation and final Rubisco
fixation of CO2, the two steps occurring in same cells but at
different times, day and night.

PHASE-1:

Stomata are open at night. CO2 is absorbed from outside. With

the help of PEP Carboxylase, it is immediately fixed. The
acceptor is phosphophenol pyruvate or PEP.

PEP +HCO3(CO2 + H2O)----- Oxaloacetic Acid(OAA) +H3PO4

Oxaloacatic Acid + NADPH---- Malic Acid +NADP+

Malic Acid is the end product of dark fixation of CO2. It is

stored inside the cell vacuole.
 PHASE-2:

During the day time stomata are closed However, light is

available for photosynthesis. Malic Acid moves out of cell
vacuoles. It is decarboxylated with the help of malic enzyme.
Pyruvate is produced and is metabolized. The released CO2 is
again fixed with the help of RuBP and Rubisco. CAM Plants
have developed a unique mechanism to perform photosynthesis
without much loss of water which occurs in other modes of
photosynthesis.
CALVIN CYCLE.
 VENN DIAGRAMM
SHOWING THE
DIFFERENCES AND
SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN C3, C4 AND
CAM PLANTS:
 CAM PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN AQUATIC
SPICIES:

It is found in at least 4 genera including ISOETES,

CRASSULA, LITORELLA, SAGITTARIA and
possibly ALLISANERIA. These plants follow the
same nocturnal acid accumulation and daytime
deacidification as terrestrial CAM species. However
the reason for CAM in aquatic plants is not due to a
lack of available water but a limited supply of CO2
.CO2 is limited due to slow diffusion in water,10000x
slower than in air. The problem is especially acute
under acid pH, where the only inorganic carbon
species present is CO2 with no available bicarbonate
or carbonate supply. They are most marked during the
summer months when there is increased competition
for CO2, compared to the winter months.
EXAMPLES OF SOME AQUATIC CAM PLANTS:
 CONTENTS:
SERIAL TOPIC: PAGE
NUMBER: NUMBER:
1. INTRODUCTION TO
CAM PATHWAY.
SOME IMPORTANT
2.
TOPICS.
CAM
3. PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
VENN DIAGRAM
4. SHOWING THE
SIMILATIES AND
5. DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN C3, C4 AND
CAM PLANTS.
CAM
6.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN
AQUATIC
SPECIES,ITS
EXAMPLES.
7.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.