C₃ and C₄ Photosynthetic Pathways — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptBased on the above discussion can you compare plants showing the C₃ and the C₄ pathway? Use the table format given in table 11.1 and fill in the information.
(NEET 2024) Given below are two statements: Statement I: In C₃ plants, some O₂ binds to RuBisCO, hence CO₂ fixation is decreased. Statement II: In C₄ plants, mesophyll cells show very little photorespiration while bundle sheath cells do not show photorespiration. In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer:
View solution & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: C — Statement I is true but Statement II is false
Statement I is TRUE: In C₃ plants, RuBisCO can act both as a carboxylase and an oxygenase. When O₂ binds to RuBisCO instead of CO₂, photorespiration occurs, leading to decreased net CO₂ fixation. Statement II is FALSE: In C₄ plants, mesophyll cells do not perform photorespiration at all. The Calvin cycle and RuBisCO are confined to bundle sheath cells, which are protected from O₂. So, photorespiration is virtually absent in both cell types — not just reduced in mesophyll.
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Through deep analysis of NEET and NTA, 176 of the 180 ReNEET 2026 (June 21) questions were already in the MedicNEET question bank before the exam.
176/180MedicNEET's Biology question bank is built from the same NCERT lines NTA picks repeatedly. Not random MCQs — questions crafted exactly like NTA crafts them.