`PEPco` is associated with

Options

A. `C_(3)` plants
B. `CAM` plants
C. `C_(4)` plants
D. Both B and C.

Answer

To determine what `PEPco` (PEP carboxylase) is associated with, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand PEP Carboxylase**:
- PEP carboxylase is an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of carbon dioxide with phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to form oxaloacetate, a four-carbon compound.

2. **Identify the Plant Types**:
- There are three main types of plants based on their photosynthetic pathways: C3 plants, C4 plants, and CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) plants.

3. **C3 Plants**:
- C3 plants primarily use the Calvin cycle for carbon fixation and do not utilize PEP carboxylase in their photosynthetic process. Therefore, PEP carboxylase is not associated with C3 plants.

4. **C4 Plants**:
- C4 plants utilize PEP carboxylase to initially fix carbon dioxide into a four-carbon compound (oxaloacetate), which is then converted into malate and transported to bundle sheath cells where it is converted back to carbon dioxide for the Calvin cycle. Thus, PEP carboxylase is associated with C4 plants.

5. **CAM Plants**:
- CAM plants also use PEP carboxylase to fix carbon dioxide at night, storing it as malate. During the day, they release the carbon dioxide for use in the Calvin cycle. Therefore, PEP carboxylase is also associated with CAM plants.

6. **Conclusion**:
- Since PEP carboxylase is associated with both C4 and CAM plants, the correct answer to the question is that PEP carboxylase is associated with both B (CAM plants) and C (C4 plants).

### Final Answer:
PEP carboxylase (PEPco) is associated with both CAM plants and C4 plants.

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