Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, commonly known as rubisco, is an enzyme that catalyzes the first major step of carbon fixation in the photosynthetic process. It plays a crucial role in converting inorganic carbon dioxide into organic compounds, specifically ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) into 3-phosphoglycerate during the Calvin cycle. Rubisco is significant in understanding both the C4 and CAM pathways as it directly influences how different plants capture and utilize carbon dioxide efficiently.
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