Fractionation of carbon isotopes in oxygenic photosynthesis Calvin cycle during the day, when stomata are closed to prevent water loss, and the light reactions can drive the necessary ATP and NADPH production. This pathway differs from C4 photosynthesis because CAM plants separate carbon by storing fixed CO in vesicles at night, then transporting it for use during the day. Thus, CAM plants temporally concentrate CO to improve Rubsico efficiency, whereas C4 plants spatially concentrate CO in bundle sheath cells. The distribution of plants which use CAM photosynthesis includes epiphytes (e.g., orchids, bromeliads) and xerophytes (e.g., succulents, cacti). In Crassulacean acid metabolism, isotopic fractionation combines the effects of
Photosynthesis type of photosynthesis used by living organisms. Although there are some differences between oxygenic photosynthesis in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, the overall process is quite similar in these organisms. There are also many varieties of anoxygenic photosynthesis, used mostly by certain types of bacteria, which consume carbon dioxide but do not release oxygen. Carbon dioxide is converted into sugars in a process called carbon fixation; photosynthesis captures energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrate. Carbon fixation is an endothermic redox reaction. In general outline, photosynthesis is the opposite of cellular respiration: while photosyntesis is a process of reduction