Variability in Crassulacean Acid Metabolism: A Survey of North Carolina Succulent Species
The correlation between succulence and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) was investigated in 28 succulent species growing in various habitats throughout North Carolina. Three species (Opuntia compressa, Agave virginica, and Tillandsia usneoides) exhibited diurnal fluctuations in tissue titratable a...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Botanical gazette (Chicago, Ill.) Ill.), 1982-12, Vol.143 (4), p.491-497 |
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Format: | Artikel |
Sprache: | eng |
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Zusammenfassung: | The correlation between succulence and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) was investigated in 28 succulent species growing in various habitats throughout North Carolina. Three species (Opuntia compressa, Agave virginica, and Tillandsia usneoides) exhibited diurnal fluctuations in tissue titratable acidity, nighttime uptake of ~14CO2, and a high carbon isotope ratio (~δ13C), all indicators of CAM. Seven species displayed one or two characteristics of CAM in situ yet yielded lower δ13~C values, indicating a partial or total restriction of atmospheric CO2uptake to the C3photosynthetic system: Yucca gloriosa, Sesuvium maritimum, Talinum teretifolium, Diamorpha smallii, Sedum pusillum, Sedum nevii, and Sedum telephioides. Several of these species were apparently capable of utilizing the CAM pathway to fix internal respiratory CO2. The results emphasize that one photosynthetic pathway does not characterize all succulents in North Carolina. |
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ISSN: | 0006-8071 |
DOI: | 10.1086/337326 |