Opuntia, a prickly pear cactus, employs a unique photosynthetic pathway called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO₂). The CAM pathway allows Opuntia to optimize its carbon-capturing efficiency while minimizing water loss, making it well-adapted to arid and semi-arid environments. The carbon-capturing mechanisms in Opuntia can be explained through the following steps:
1. CO₂ uptake during the night
Unlike most plants that take in CO₂ during the day, Opuntia opens its stomata (tiny pores on leaves or cladodes) at night. This nocturnal behavior helps the plant to capture CO₂ when the temperature is more relaxed, and the humidity is higher, reducing water loss through transpiration.
2. Storage of CO₂ as malic acid
Once CO₂ enters the plant through the stomata, it is combined with phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to form oxaloacetate, which is then converted to malic acid. Malic acid is stored in the plant’s vacuoles as a temporary reservoir for the captured CO₂.
3. Release of CO₂ during the day
During the daytime, when the stomata are closed, the stored malic acid is transported to decarboxylated chloroplasts, releasing CO₂. The plant’s photosynthetic machinery uses this CO₂ to produce glucose and other organic compounds through the Calvin cycle.
4. Carbon storage in plant biomass
The plant uses the glucose and other organic compounds produced during photosynthesis for growth and maintenance. As the plant grows, more carbon is stored in its biomass, sequestering the captured carbon from the atmosphere.
In summary, Opuntia’s CAM pathway allows it to efficiently capture and store carbon by taking CO₂ at night and utilizing it for photosynthesis during the day. This unique adaptation enhances the plant’s carbon-capturing potential and helps it conserve water in arid and semi-arid environments.
Pages
Categories
- Water conservation and management
- Walter Schroth
- Visitors and tourists to the Monti Iblei area of the province of Syracuse
- University
- Uncategorized
- Sustainable agriculture and farming practices
- Story
- Seed Oil
- Researchers and academics
- Recipes
- Policy and advocacy for arid regions
- Plant species and cultivation techniques suitable for arid regions
- People
- Micropropagation
- Members of the dryGrow Foundation
- Innovative technologies and solutions for arid regions
- Indigenous knowledge and traditions related to farming and land management
- Grazing Systems
- Grazing
- Foundation related
- Food and Beverage
- Fencing
- Fashion
- Farmers and agricultural workers
- Education and outreach programs
- Contests
- Community-driven development and empowerment
- Climate change impacts and adaptations
- Cellulose for the Pharmaceutical Industry
- Carbon capturing
- Cactus World Characters
- Biogas
- Bioenergy
- Arid land management and conservation
- Animal Diets
Posts
- What was the trigger that prompted Walter Schroth to create dryGrow Foundation
- Donations
- How the dryGrow Foundation Empowers Communities in Semi-Arid Regions
- The Science Behind Micro-Propagation and Its Applications in Cactus Cultivation
- Exploring the Potential of Cactus-Based Products in the Food and Beverage Industry
- The Role of Opuntia Cactus in Combating Desertification and Soil Erosion
- The Impact of Cactus-Based Agriculture on Water Resources in Dryland Areas
- The Potential of Cactus-Based Agriculture in Supporting Pollinator Populations in Arid Regions
- Opuntia Ficus Indica: A Natural, Sustainable Fencing Solution
- Interaction between Cladode Orientation and Planting Season
- The Potential of Utilizing the Spineless Cactus for Bioenergy Production
- Palma Forrageira: A Promising Alternative Source of Cellulose for the Pharmaceutical Industry
- Potential of Prickly Pear-Based Natural Sweeteners and Colorants
- Who is Adriana Santanocito?
- Opuntia : an economical food source for camels
- Cactus as an Alternative Fodder for Livestock in India
- Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Seed Oil from Opuntia dillenii Haw and It’s Antioxidant Activity
- Combining Leucaena Hay and Cactus Pear for Crossbred Steers’ Diets
- How to make Nopal Flour
- The carbon-capturing potential of Opuntia species.
- Carbon Capturing Mechanisms in Opuntia
- Cactus Feeding & Rotational Grazing: A Sustainable Trend in Ranching
- Prickly Pear the drought-resistant crop
- Acta Horticulturae 1343 Thank You
- Were we are – Monti Iblei Syracuse
- Opuntia Cactus: The Solution to Camel Herders’ Nutrition Challenge
- What is Micropropagation
- Exporting endemic Opuntia from Mexico
- Professor Paolo Inglese University of Palermo
- Unlocking the Potential of Opuntia Ficus Indica: Prof. Stefano La Malfa
- San Cono’s Secret
- The magic of the Fico d’India
- Prof. Jose Dubeux a Pioneer in Promoting Sustainable Use of Cacti
- USE of LED Lights for growing Cactus
- A Beacon of Hope for Adigrat University and Sustainable Agriculture
- Who is Djalma Cordeiro Dos Santos?
- About Orelha de Elefante Clones
- University research
- Get involved
- Biomass – Opuntia – What we do and offer
- dryGrow`s 1st Photo & Video contest (closed)
- Geographical Areas-Resources