May 07 2010
Photosynthesis
With all the excessive carbon in the world C3,C4, and CAM plants can thrive even more now. You ask, what are all these plants with these weird name? Well, these plants are given their name based on how they use the carbon for photosynthesis. C3 plants, are the plant that we all have learned about it school and get bored with. C3 plants, during photosynthesis, create the energy they need through their leaves. These plants make their energy at a normal, which means they need more carbon in order to get enough energy. So, with all the extra carbon in the world C3 plants can get even more energy to grow, which might help stop deforestation.
Even though C3 plants are getting a good effect from climate change, C4 and CAM plants get the better end of the deal. C4 plants, are able to absorb carbon atoms very quickly. They are able to do this because of where they grow . When C4 plants get a high amount of sunlight they are able to do photosynthesis even faster. Also, both C4 and CAM plants are able to survive long periods of water withdrawal, which is good if the Earth keeps heating up. Unfortunately, some of these plants have some drawbacks. The most important one of all is that CAM plants. They actually release carbon dioxide back into the air. This can cause big problems for in the future as I, will discuss in my next posts.
I’ve got to say that I honestly had no idea there were different mechanisms for photosynthesis before you started looking into it. It would be interesting to find out whether C4 & CAM plants have been migrating further away from their traditional areas due changes in climate. Good stuff.
If the climate continues to warm for a long time in the future, do you think C4 & CAM plants will be more common? It seems like if they rely on stronger sunlight then they may not benefit, since the amount of sunlight stays the same even if the Earth gets warmer.
I really enjoyed reading your post. It’s nice to read about something that actually has a good effect from climate change. I like how you explained what these different types of plants are. Before reading this post, I never knew that plants could be categorized by how they use the carbon for photosynthesis. As Mr.Wildeboer said, do you think these plants will be more common due to the climate change? I would like to know more about these plants and how they work. Maybe in one of your next posts, you could write more on this topic.