Desert plants take up carbon dioxide at night to reduce water loss.
In deserts, temperatures are very high during the day, and opening stomata (tiny pores on leaves) would lead to excessive water loss due to evaporation.
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To avoid this, desert plants keep their stomata closed during the day and open them at night when it’s cooler and humidity is higher.
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At night, they take in carbon dioxide and store it as organic acids.
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During the day, with stomata closed, they use the stored CO₂ to carry out photosynthesis.
This special adaptation is known as CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) photosynthesis.
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