The most common form of photosynthesis where CO2 is directly fixed by RuBisCO into a 3-carbon compound in the Calvin cycle. This pathway is used by most plants but is less efficient in hot, dry conditions.
Named for the first stable product of carbon fixation - a 3-carbon molecule called 3-phosphoglycerate. The term was coined in the 1960s when scientists used radioactive tracers to identify the different pathways plants use to fix carbon.
C3 photosynthesis is like the original recipe for turning CO2 into sugar - it works great in cool, moist conditions but struggles in hot weather when plants have to close their stomata to conserve water! About 85% of plant species still use this 'classic' approach.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.