Do succulent plants protect against radiation and release oxygen at night?
Today, I will provide a detailed introduction to succulent plants for netizens, discussing whether succulent plants can protect against radiation and release oxygen at night. Let's share the detailed content next.
Do cacti, cactuses, or succulent plants protect against radiation? The answer is: No!
Please remember that no plants have the function of radiation protection, which is all hyped up by unscrupulous merchants. Otherwise, couldn't we just plant a large area of cacti around the nuclear power plant in Japan that leaked to solve the problem? It is commonly said that it is not good to place plants in the bedroom, mainly because most plants release "carbon dioxide" at night. Plants not only perform photosynthesis but also need to respire, and at night, without sunlight, photosynthesis is weakened. The respiration process is enhanced, and simply put, the respiration of plants is similar to that of humans, so they exhale "carbon dioxide" at night. However, placing cacti, cactuses, and succulent plants in front of a computer or next to the bedside has its benefits, which is based on evidence. What benefits? They release oxygen at night.
Of course, the amount of oxygen released is also very small, and it can't compare with an oxygen machine. So don't be fooled by those people... Regarding the evidence of oxygen release from succulent plants and cacti/balls at night. Generally speaking, during the day, after sufficient sunlight is absorbed by Crassula plants, they will still release oxygen at night. Science can be complex, and those who are not afraid of getting dizzy can continue to study further.
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) Plants
The energy source for all biochemical reactions in plant cells comes from respiration. A large amount of biological energy (adenosine triphosphate, ATP) is produced by the aerobic oxidation or anaerobic fermentation of glucose, which is used for other biochemical reactions. All cells are constantly undergoing respiration, consuming oxygen, and releasing carbon dioxide. This energy metabolism is completed through four pathways of cellular respiration: glycolysis - acetyl-CoA production - the citric acid cycle - electron transport, and oxidative phosphorylation. The场所 (site) for energy metabolism in cells is the cytoplasm and organelles such as mitochondria.
Photosynthesis and respiration are different but not opposite or contradictory. Because these two processes are completely different biochemical modes: photosynthesis is a process that uses light to supply energy and release oxygen, i.e., the photolysis of water, producing oxygen and reducing equivalents (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reduced form, NADPH). In a sense, reducing equivalents are equivalent to biological energy, which is used to fix carbon dioxide to synthesize glucose and other organic compounds. The main场所 (site) for photosynthesis is the chloroplast within the leaf tissue cells.
The photosynthesis and respiration of a plant body coexist, each performing their biological functions and missions, mutually协同 (协同). They appear as photosynthesis releasing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide; respiration releasing carbon dioxide and absorbing oxygen. The strength of photosynthesis determines the amount of oxygen released by the plant body, but it does not mean that photosynthesis can determine respiration; there is no absolute dependence between the two. The main control factor of photosynthesis is light, while the main control factor of respiration is temperature. The respiration of plants is always present, including during the day and at night; while photosynthesis mainly occurs during the day. This determines that most plants release carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen, whether it is day or night; however, when there is light, photosynthesis far exceeds respiration, making the carbon dioxide released by respiration almost directly used by photosynthesis, which makes it appear that plants release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide during the day.
For succulent plants, because the cells of this type of plant use the "Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM)" pathway, they are different from other C3 and C4 plants. This type of plant closes its stomata during the day and does not or rarely exchanges gases. At night, it is different; they will exchange gases for photosynthesis and respiration, and visually, they still release much more oxygen than carbon dioxide, which is very different from other plants. However, this does not mean that the photosynthesis of succulent plants occurs at night. In fact, this carbon dioxide is stored in the organic acids (such as malic acid) in the mesophyll cells, and when there is light, these organic acids are decomposed and released in the bundle sheath cells for use in photosynthesis.
The assertion "light = energy" directly illustrates the significance of photosynthesis: converting non-biological energy into biological energy and synthesizing complex organic matter for the organic matter cycle in the biosphere. The organic matter produced can generate more biological energy through respiration, laying the foundation for numerous biochemical reactions. Therefore, it can be said that photosynthesis is the basis of respiration, and photosynthesis exists only in organisms containing chloroplasts, while respiration is widespread in the biological world.
Quantitative analysis of photosynthesis: For C3 pathway plants, converting one molecule of carbon dioxide requires 3 molecules of ATP; synthesizing one molecule of glucose requires 18 molecules of ATP. However, through aerobic oxidation of one molecule of glucose during respiration, 36 or 38 ATPs can be generated. It can be seen that photosynthesis is an energy fixation process, and respiration is actually an energy generation process. For C4 or CAM plants, 30 molecules of ATP are needed to produce one molecule of glucose, and similarly, the decomposition of one molecule of glucose still produces 36 or 38 ATPs, which shows that the metabolic rate of C4 or CAM plants is relatively low, visually appearing as "slow growth." Although C3 plants consume less ATP than C4 plants, due to the less obvious respiration of C4 or CAM plants, the generated carbon dioxide is immediately used by photosynthesis, so C4 or CAM plants have higher photosynthetic efficiency and stronger nutrient storage capacity, visually appearing as "succulent and thick."
The comparison and analysis of the photosynthesis and respiration of C3, C4, and CAM plants discuss the characteristics of the plant world from a physiological and biochemical perspective, analyze the similarities and differences between succulent plants and other plants, and establish the biological status of succulent plants. At the same time, it has laid the theoretical foundation and provided research evidence for the study of succulent plants in horticulture, medicine, genetic breeding, and biotechnology.
More importantly, these basic studies have promoted the development of ecology, classification, cultivation, propagation (especially tissue culture), and genetic breeding of succulent plants.
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, CAM
Photosynthesis is one of the important biochemical reactions in the biological world and the basis for the synthesis of complex organic matter. Plants are the main group of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplast within the plant cell, which is an important organelle with a double-membrane vesicle structure. Inside, there are special lamellar structures - granules, where the main biochemical reactions of photosynthesis take place. Chloroplasts can convert light energy into reducing equivalents (NADPH) and biological energy (ATP) through light reactions and dark reactions, synthesizing a large amount of sugar. This sugar becomes the raw material for further biochemical reactions in the cell.
Classic photosynthesis is carried out through the C3 and C4 pathways. The carbon fixation product of the C3 pathway is 3-phosphoglycerate (G-Y) acid, while the carbon fixation product of the C4 pathway is 2-ketobutyrate. The Crassulacean pathway is similar to the C4 pathway, but the difference is that C4 plants fix and reduce carbon dioxide in the same time (day) and different spaces (mesophyll cells and bundle sheath cells), while CAM plants complete these two processes at different times (day and night) and in the same space (mesophyll cells).
CAM plants fix carbon dioxide at night to produce organic acids, and during the day, organic acids are decomposed and release carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. It basically consists of four stages: the carboxylation stage of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), the carboxylation stage of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), Rubisco assimilating carbon dioxide, and the transition of Rubisco carboxylation to PEPC carboxylation stage. CAM plants have a lower apparent rate of photorespiration due to the closure of stomata during the day, decarboxylation of malic acid, a high ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen between cells, and a high rate of carbon dioxide re-fixation.
The CAM pathway was first discovered in Crassulaceae plants, and it is now known that nearly 30 families and more than 10,000 species of plants use the CAM pathway for photosynthesis. These plants have the same characteristics: originating from tropical dry environments, having well-developed thin-walled water storage cells, containing chlorophyll and leaf vesicles. These plants are called succulent plants, but not all succulent plants use the CAM pathway for photosynthesis, and CAM is not unique to succulent plants. Therefore, it is more accurate to say that a major characteristic of succulent plants is that most species use the CAM pathway for photosynthesis. This is also a basis for determining which plants are succulent and supplements the concept of succulent plants.
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) is found not only in Crassulaceae but also in several other plant species, including cacti, succulents, pineapple plants, and orchids.
Crassulaceae, a dicotyledonous plant family with 35 genera, 1600 species, widely distributed worldwide, but mainly produced in South Africa, there are about 10 genera and 247 species in China, produced nationwide; in addition, several ornamental plants have been introduced. They are perennial, succulent plants that prefer dry lands or rocky surfaces.
Crassulaceae plants use the CAM pathway for photosynthesis. At night, they open their stomata, absorb carbon dioxide, combine with intracellular phosphoenolpyruvate to form oxaloacetic acid, and then convert it into malic acid through enzymatic catalysis, storing it in vacuoles; during the day, the stomata are almost completely closed, malic acid is transported out of the vacuoles, and under enzymatic catalysis, it is decomposed to release carbon dioxide, which enters the chloroplast and is fixed into sugars.
This article shares all the content about whether succulent plants protect against radiation and release oxygen at night. Green plant enthusiasts can refer to this for reference.