C4, C3, and CAM
Different environments in different regions can not support the needs of all types of plants. Certain plants can not tolerate higher temperatures and others survive better in cooler climates. These plants are seperated into three groups. They are the C3, C4 and CAM plants. In the case of a C3 plant, the most common of the three types, cooler weather and greater levels of Carbon Dioxide are essential for maximum sugar production. In hotter, less humid days the production of sugars is greatly decreased because the Calvin cycle is robbed of Carbon Dioxide due to the stomata closing to prevent water loss in the plant. C4 plants can tolerate slightly hotter climates with lower levels of Carbon dioxide. This group mainly consists of grassy type plants. plants The in this category have one type of photosynthetic cell called the bundle-sheath cell and another called the mesophyll cell. In very hot, very dry areas, such as the desert, we can find plants such as cacti. The cactus and similar plants are known as "water storing" plants. They are in the CAM group. CAM plants will close their stomata during the day to prevent water loss due to the extreme heat and dry air attempting to evaporate the plants water. At night these plants open their stomata while it is cool and the air is humid. These three types of plants have very diverse invirontments in which they live and each type survives. Although they may die in an opposite extreme invironment, they all can slightly adapt to survive in their own.