Fractionation of carbon isotopes in oxygenic photosynthesis the bundle sheath cells. This limits the carbon available to RuBisCO, which in turn lowers its fractionation effect. This accounts for the overall delta value in C4 plants to be -12 to -16 ‰. Plants that use Crassulacean acid metabolism, also known as CAM photosynthesis, temporally separate their chemical reactions between day and night. This strategy modulates stomatal conductance to increase water-use efficiency, so is well-adapted for arid climates. During the night, CAM plants open stomata to allow CO to enter the cell and undergo fixation into organic acids that are stored in vacuoles. This carbon is released to the
Photosynthesis allowing carbon fixation to 3-phosphoglycerate by RuBisCO. Sixteen thousand species of plants use CAM. Cyanobacteria possess carboxysomes, which increase the concentration of around RuBisCO to increase the rate of photosynthesis. An enzyme, carbonic anhydrase, located within the carboxysome releases CO from the dissolved hydrocarbonate ions (HCO). Before the CO diffuses out it is quickly sponged up by RuBisCO, which is concentrated within the carboxysomes. HCO ions are made from CO outside the cell by another carbonic anhydrase and are actively pumped into the cell by a membrane protein. They cannot cross the membrane as they are charged, and within the