This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Web of Science (18) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Holthe, P. A. Articles by Ting, I. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Holthe, P. A. Articles by Ting, I. P. Agricola Articles by Holthe, P. A. Articles by Ting, I. P.

Metabolism and Enzymology

Developmental Control of CAM in Peperomia scandens¹

Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92507, Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124

Experiments were conducted to examine the development of photosynthetic carbon metabolism in Peperomia scandens, a tropical epiphyte. Leaves were sampled during a 10-day period when they were between 30 to 165 days old. P. scandens exhibits a C₃ to CAM-cycling to CAM shift during maturation with the magnitude of CAM increasing with age. Initially, during both day and night, no significant CO₂ uptake or diurnal acid flux was evident. C₃ gas exchange was detected at 41 days of age with a gradual shift towards CAM gas exchange maximized thereafter. An acidity flux of 130 to 150 microequivalents per gram fresh weight was evident by 41 days. Between 40 and 90 days, the leaves shifted their CO₂ uptake pattern from a daytime to a nighttime peak. After 90 days, the leaves remained in CAM. The ¹³C values became progressively less negative as the leaves matured. In the 30-day-old leaves, the ¹³C value was –21.1% while in the 165-day-old leaves the ¹³C value was –18.3%. The time-dependent shift from C₃ to CAM-cycling to CAM in P. scandens does not appear to result from changes in water, light, or temperature regimes since these variables were constant for all leaves sampled.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. S. Jones, Z. G. Cardon, and A. D. Czaja A phylogenetic view of low-level CAM in Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) Am. J. Botany, January 1, 2003; 90(1): 135 - 142. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]