C4 and CAM Pathways Summary

Flashcards summarizing key concepts related to C4 and CAM pathways, photosynthesis, and the cell cycle.

C4 Plants

Plants that spatially separate the carbon fixation and the Calvin cycle process, utilizing mesophyll and bundle sheath cells.

CAM Plants

Plants that temporally separate carbon fixation and the Calvin cycle, fixing carbon at night and running the Calvin cycle during the day.

Calvin Cycle

A set of chemical reactions that take place in chloroplasts during photosynthesis, where CO2 is converted into glucose.

PEP Carboxylase

An enzyme that plays a crucial role in the C4 and CAM pathways by catalyzing the fixation of carbon dioxide.

Oxaloacetate

A four-carbon compound produced in the C4 pathway that is formed from the combination of PEP and CO2.

G3P (Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate)

A three-carbon compound produced directly from the Calvin cycle, which can be used to form glucose.

Stomata

Small openings on the surface of leaves that allow the exchange of gases; their opening and closing helps regulate water loss.

Mitosis

The process of cell division that results in two genetically identical daughter cells from a single parent cell.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that produces reproductive cells (gametes) with half the genetic material of the parent cell.

Cytokinesis

The final step of cell division where the cytoplasm of a parental cell divides into two daughter cells.

Interphase

The longest phase of the cell cycle, during which the cell grows, duplicates its DNA, and prepares for mitosis.

S Phase

The phase of interphase where DNA replication occurs.

Kinetochore

A protein structure on the centromere of a chromosome where spindle fibers attach during cell division.

Histones

Proteins that help organize and protect DNA, wrapping it into structures called nucleosomes to form chromosomes.

Centromere

The region of a chromosome where sister chromatids are joined and where the kinetochore forms.

Astral Microtubules

Microtubules that extend from the spindle poles and anchor the spindle to the cell membrane.