CAM stands for crassulacean acid metabolism. Essentially, it is a carbon-fixation version of photosynthesis certain plants have adapted to use in arid climates to conserve water. A CAM plant only takes in CO2 during nighttime (closes the stomata on its leaves in the daytime) to prevent the plant from losing water out of the stomata in the hotter dayttime (reduces evapotranspiration). The plant then stores the CO2 until the next day when its uses sunlight to photosynthesize like normal using the previous night’s CO2 supply. Above is a pineapple, which uses this process.

List #22