Write notes on the mechanism of CO2 assimilation in the C3, C4 and the CAM plants

INTRODUCTION:
There is plant life all around the world in all kinds of different ecosystems, from deserts, to jungles, to even very cold climates. Depending on where a plant lives, it needs to have different adaptations in order to be able to survive.There are special types of photosynthesis that include C3, C4, and CAM photosynthesis.

IT is the typical photosynthesis than most plants use and that everyone learns about in school . C4 and CAM photosynthesis are both adaptations to arid conditions because they result in better water use efficiency. In addition, CAM plants can "idle," saving precious energy and water during harsh times, and C4 plants can photosynthesize faster under the desert's high heat and light conditions than C3 plants because they use an extra biochemical pathway and special anatomy to reduce photorespiration. C3 Photosynthesis : C3 plants.

a. b.

Plants that live in areas that get little light and rainfall typically use C3 photosynthesis Plants that live in areas where the weather very hot and very dry, they find a way to prevent the loss of water, so they also use this type of photosynthesis.

c.

C3 plant has mesophyll cells are arranged in parallel rows which is where the Calvin cycle reactions occur. They include the cereal grains: wheat, rice, barley, oats. Peanuts, cotton, sugar beets, tobacco, spinach, soybeans, and most trees are C3 plants. C3 plants have the disadvantage that in hot dry conditions their photosynthetic efficiency suffers because of a process called photorespiration. When the CO2 concentration in the chloroplasts drops below about 50 ppm, the catalyst rubisco that helps to fix carbon begins to fix oxygen instead. This is highly wasteful of the energy that has been collected from the light, and causes the rubisco to operate at perhaps a quarter of its maximal rate. Called C3 because the CO2 is first incorporated into a 3-carbon compound. Stomata are open during the day. RUBISCO, the enzyme involved in photosynthesis, is also the enzyme involved in the uptake of CO2. Photosynthesis takes place throughout the leaf. Adaptive Value: more efficient than C4 and CAM plants under cool and moist conditions and under normal light because requires less machinery (fewer enzymes and no specialized anatomy)..

d.

e.

f.

g.

h. i. j.

k. l.

C4 Photosynthesis : C4 plants.
a. b. c.

Called C4 because the CO2 is first incorporated into a 4-carbon compound. Stomata are open during the day. Uses PEP Carboxylase for the enzyme involved in the uptake of CO2. This enzyme allows CO2 to be taken into the plant very quickly, and then it "delivers" the CO2 directly to RUBISCO for photsynthesis.

d.

Photosynthesis takes place in inner cells (requires special anatomy called Kranz Anatomy)

Adaptive Value:

Photosynthesizes faster than C3 plants under high light intensity and high temperatures because the CO2 is delivered directly to RUBISCO, not allowing it to grab oxygen and undergo photorespiration. Has better Water Use Efficiency because PEP Carboxylase brings in CO2 faster and so does not need to keep stomata open as much (less water lost by transpiration) for the same amount of CO2 gain for photosynthesis.

C4 plants include several thousand species in at least 19 plant families. Example: fourwing saltbush pictured here, corn, and many of our summer annual plants.

CAM Photosynthesis

a. PEP carboxylase still fixes CO2 to OAA b. OAA is converted to malic acid c. Malic acid is shuttle to the vacuole of the cell d. At night, stomata are open, PEP carboxylase are active and malic acid accumulates in the cell's vacuole e. During the day, stomata are closed, malic acid is shuttled out of the vacuole and converted back to OAA, releasing CO2 f. CO2 is fixed by rubisco and the Calvin cycle proceeds g. Advantage of CAM is that photosynthesis can proceed during the day while the stomata are closed, greatly reducing H2O loss. CAM provides an adaptation for plants that grow in hot, dry environments with cool nights.

h. CAM, or crassulacean acid metabolism photosynthesis is another special type of photosynthesis that plants use. i. This type of processes used mostly for plants that live in a hot, dry desert environment. 3

j. What happened during this process is that during nighttime, when it is not as hot outside, the plant opens its stomata. k. It then uses see three molecules in order to fix carbon dioxide and form C4 molecules.Called CAM after the plant family in which it was first found (Crassulaceae) and because the CO2 is stored in the form of an acid before use in photosynthesis. l. Stomata open at night (when evaporation rates are usually lower) and are usually closed during the day. m. The CO2 is converted to an acid and stored during the night. n. During the day, the acid is broken down and the CO2 is released to RUBISCO for photosynthesis o. Adaptive Value:
o

Better Water Use Efficiency than C3 plants under arid conditions due to opening stomata at night when transpiration rates are lower (no sunlight, lower temperatures, lower wind speeds, etc.). May CAM-idle. When conditions are extremely arid, CAM plants can just leave their stomata closed night and day. Oxygen given off in photosynthesis is used for respiration and CO2 given off in respiration is used for photosynthesis. This is a little like a perpetual energy machine, but there are costs associated with running the machinery for respiration and photosynthesis so the plant cannot CAMidle forever.

But CAM-idling does allow the plant to survive dry spells, and it allows the plant to recover very quickly when water is available again CAM plants include many succulents such as cactuses and agaves and also some orchids and bromeliads

Comparison of C-3, C-4, CAM plants C-3

Initial CO2 fixing enzyme Form of C in intermediates ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase 2 PGA (phosphoglycerate) molecules (3C) Starch after C-3

C-4
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase 4C molecules 4-C molecules before C-3 Starch after C-3 grasses in warm climates

CAM
phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase 4C molecules 4-C molecules in vacuoles before C-3 Starch after C-3 plants in hot, arid regions succulents, cacti, agaves, some orchids, and bromeliads (im)

C stored in

Plant type

all plants

Chloroplasts of all phototrophs Location of process starch-rich chloroplasts lacking grana in bundle sheath cells of C4 plants earliest, conserved none

mesophyll of KranzCrown/Halo plants (im, diag, im) later, convergent spatial high in bundle sheath cells

Chloroplasts nocturnal

Evolution Separation from C-3 CO2 levels

later, convergent temporal

Advantages

more efficient in cool, moist environments with moderate light intensity

more efficient in warm, dry environments with high light intensity

more efficient in hot, dry environments with high light intensity

Differences between C3 and C4 Plants

C3 CO2 acceptor is 5c RUBP CO2 fixing enzyme is RUBP carboxylase First product of photosynthesis is PGA (3c) CO2 fixation occurs once only CO2 acceptor is 3c PEP CO2 fixing enzyme is PEP carboxylase First product of photosynthesis is oxaloacetic acid (4c) CO2 fixation twice - Kranz anatomy C4

Conclusion:
There are three basic categories of plants when it comes to photosynthesis: C3, C4 and CAM. The difference between them are the ways in which CO2 is extracted from the air and the primary products of photosynthesis. In C3 plants the enzyme responsible for photosynthesis, RUBISCO, is also the enzyme involved in the uptake of CO2. Examples of C3 plans include wheat, barley, potatoes and sugar beetsmost plants are of this type. During dry periods CAM stomata are closed during the day.

CO2 captured overnight is stored in solution to be processed when the light returns. C4 plants photosynthesize faster under high heat and light conditions than C3 plants, but it is now clear the increased rate is due to higher operating temperatures and the fact that chemical reactions double in rate for every 10 Celsius degrees they are raised. Theonly remarkable fact is that this was only recently confirmed and accepted.

The C3 class plants respond very well to additional carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when grown in greenhouses and we have demonstrated they respond well to soil-sourced carbon dioxide. The C4 class includes all grasses and grains. These are warmer area plants that were reported to show about half the response to increased CO2 as did the C3 plants in early studies. New work has resulted in a dispute over this fact and there will appear to be confusion in the literature. We believe the rates will be found to be the same or greater for C4 plants when the science is settled..

References
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