Even though a very few cells in a $C_{4}$ plant carry out the biosynthetic-Calvin pathway,yet they are highly productive. Can you discuss why?

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
(N/A) The productivity of a plant is measured by the rate at which it photosynthesizes. The amount of carbon dioxide present in a plant is directly proportional to the rate of photosynthesis.
$C_{4}$ plants have a mechanism for increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the bundle-sheath cells.
In $C_{4}$ plants,the Calvin cycle occurs exclusively in the bundle-sheath cells.
The $C_{4}$ acid (malic acid or aspartic acid) formed in the mesophyll cells is transported to the bundle-sheath cells,where it is broken down to release $CO_{2}$.
This high concentration of $CO_{2}$ ensures that the enzyme $RuBisCO$ functions primarily as a carboxylase rather than an oxygenase.
This mechanism effectively prevents photorespiration,which would otherwise waste energy and carbon,thereby significantly increasing the overall rate of photosynthesis and productivity.

Explore More

Similar Questions

Malic acid or aspartic acid and oxaloacetic acid both are found in

$A$ plant in your garden avoids photorespiration,has improved water-use efficiency,shows a high rate of photosynthesis at high temperatures,and has improved nitrogen-use efficiency. To which physiological group would you classify this plant?

The family in which many plants are $C_4$ type is:

$CAM$ helps plants in:

Who studied the ultrastructure of bundle sheath cells?

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo