The light-independent reactions are sometimes referred to as the dark reactions, though that term may be misleading as they do not actually require darkness to proceed. The term "light-independent" is used to emphasize that the reactions occur regardless of the amount of light present as long as the proper substrate compounds are available. Even this term can be criticized, however, as the availability of substrates in plants depends on photosynthesis, so the reactions cannot be said to be entirely "light-independent." Furthermore, the term "dark reactions" may be more accurate in CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) plants, which only take up CO2, which is necessary for the reactions to proceed, at night.
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