Question

CAM helps the plant in _____.

• A. Secondary growth
• B. Primary growth
• C. Transporting minerals and nutrients from the soil
• D. Reducing loss of water by transpiration

Answer 1

The correct option is D

Reducing loss of water by transpiration

The correct option is D.

The explanation for the correct answer:

1. Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) is a process that helps plants in reducing the loss of their water through the transpiration process.
2. Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a special kind of carbon-fixation pathway found in succulent plants.
3. It is found in some plants like cactus that grow in arid conditions.
4. Their stomata remain open at night and carbon dioxide is stored in vacuole as malic acid.
5. Later this malate will be converted into pyruvate and CO₂, which will be used in the photosynthetic process.
6. CAM plants only exchange gases at night.

The explanation for the incorrect options:

Option A:

1. Secondary growth is associated with photosynthesis but not directly with CAM.
2. Secondary growth takes place in dicots.
3. Secondary growth in plants is due to vascular cambium and cork cambium.

Option B:

1. Primary growth is linked with photosynthetic efficiency but not directly with CAM.
2. It depends on metabolic activities of plants.
3. Also depend on the availability of nutrition.

Option C:

Transport of minerals and nutrients from soil occurs by xylem cells along with water after absorption of minerals through roots.

Final answer: CAM helps the plant in reducing loss of water by transpiration .