Medical Definition of Crassulacean acid metabolism
1.
Physiological adaptation of certain succulent plants, in which carbon dioxide can be fixed (nonphotosynthetically) at night into malic and other acids. During the day the carbon dioxide is regenerated and then fixed photosynthetically into the Calvin Benson cycle. This adaptation permits the stomata to remain closed during the day, conserving water.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism
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