Where does photosynthesis take place in a cactus ?
Answers
Leaves. The great majority of cacti have no visible leaves; photosynthesis takes place in the stems (which may be flattened and leaflike in some species).
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Explanation:
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All plants photosynthesize, collecting carbon dioxide through holes in their leaves called “stomata” and converting it into sugar and oxygen.
Cacti utilize CAM photosynthesis, a process unique to succulents. In CAM photosynthesis, stomata open only at night when the plant is relatively cool, so less moisture is lost through transpiration.However, photosynthesis also requires sunlight.
The CAM process includes a way of chemically storing the carbon dioxide until the sun comes out, when it can be used to complete the photosynthetic process. Stomata are like windows; they have to be open to let air and water in or out, but sunlight can come in even if they’re closed.
Photosynthesis is a physiochemical or photo-biochemical process(anabolic and endergonic ) in which organic compounds are synthesized into inorganic raw materials in the presence of light and pigment. Oxygen is evolved in the process.It takes place in all the green plantsCactus is a plant belonging to succulent xerophytic family. The plants belonging to this family follow a CAM pathway (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) for transpiration . This means the transpiration doesn't occur during the day but at night.
Like any other plant, photosynthesis in cacti takes place in chloroplasts. Chloroplasts are the green pigments present in plastid of plants. Thus photosynthesis can be performed anywhere and everywhere the chloroplasts are present.
But biology is all about the net /the bulk. Since the largest amount of chloroplasts are present in the leaves , they are the site of mainstream photosynthesis.
But Cactus has no leaves . Its leaves are modified into spines, an adaptation to reduce transpiration.
But Cactus has no leaves . Its leaves are modified into spines, an adaptation to reduce transpiration.Thus the mainstream photosynthetic activity takes place in the stem of the cacti where relatively more amount of chloroplasts are present than the rest parts.