Summary
The occurrence of the C4 photosynthetic system, based upon an examination of leaf anatomy, of nearly all species of the vegetation of Aldabra Atoll, western Indian Ocean, is reported. About 19% of the flora has the C4 system. It only occurs in herbaceous plants, which grow either in grasslands or as an understorey to tall shrubs. Both C3 and C4 species compete side by side in the mixed-species communities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brown, W.V.: Variations in anatomy, associations, and origins of Kranz tissue. Amer. J. Bot. 62(4), 395–402 (1975)
Caldwell, M.: Carbon balance and productivity of two cool desert communities dominated by shrubs possessing C3 and C4 photosynthesis. pp. 52–56. Proceedings of 1st International congress of Ecology. The Hague, The Netherlands, Sept. 8–14, 1974. Centre for Agric. Publ. and Documentation. Wageningen (1974)
Craig, S., Goodchild, D.J.: Leaf ultrastructure of Triodia irritans. Aust. J. Bot. 25(3), 277–290 (1977)
Ehleringer, J.R.: Implications of quantum yield differences on the distributions of C3 and C4 grasses. Oecologia (Berl.) 31, 255–267 (1978)
Ehleringer, J., Bjorkman, D.: Quantum yields for CO2 uptake in C3 and C4 plants. Plant Physiol. 59, 86–90 (1977)
Hattersley, P.W., Watson, L.: Anatomical parameters for predicting photosynthetic pathways of grass leaves. Phytomorph. 25(3), 325–333 (1975)
Hnatiuk, R.J., Merton, L.F.H.: Vegetation of Aldabra. Atoll Res. Bull. (in press)
Hnatiuk, R.J., Woodell, S.R.J., Bourn, D.M.: Giant Tortoise and vegetation interactions on Aldabra Atoll — Part 2: Coastal. Biol. Consery. 8, 305–316 (1976)
Hnatiuk, S.H.: Numbers of plant species on the islands of Aldabra Atoll. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 286, 247–254 (1979)
Johansen, D.A.: Plant Microtechnique. McGraw Hill. N.Y. and Lond 1940
Laetsch, W.M.: The C4 syndrome: a structural analysis. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 25, 27–52 (1974)
Merton, L.F.H., Bourn, D.M., Hnatiuk, R.J.: Giant Tortoise and vegetation interactions on Aldabra Atoll — Part 1: Inland. Biol. Conserv. 9, 293–304 (1976)
Mooney, H.A., Ehleringer, J., Berry, J.A.: High photosynthetic capacity of a winter annual in death valley. Sci. 194, 322–324 (1976)
Mooney, H.A., Troughton, J.H., Berry, J.A.: Arid climates and photosynthetic systems. Carnegie Institution Yearbook 73, Washington, pp. 793–805 (1974)
Pearcy, R.W., Troughton, J.: C4 photosynthesis in tree form Euphorbia species from Hawaiian rainforest sites. Plant Physiol. 55, 1054–1056 (1975)
Renvoize, S.A.: The origin and distribution of the flora of Aldabra. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond B260, 227–236 (1971)
Sankhla, N., Ziegler, H., Vyas, O.P., Stichler, W., Trimborn, P.: Ecophysiological Studies on Indian Arid Zone Plants. Oecologia (Berl.) 21, 123–129 (1975)
Stoddart, D.R.: Settlement, development and conservation of Aldabra. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B260, 5–29 (1971)
Stoddart, D.R., Mole, L.U.: Climate of Aldabra Atoll. Atoll Res. Bull. 202, 21 pp. (1977)
Tregunna, E.B., Smith, B.M., Berry, J.A. Downtown, W.J.S.: Some methods for studying the photosynthetic taxonomy of the angiosperms. Can. J. Bot. 48, 1209–1214 (1970)
Welkie, G.W., Caldwell, M.: Leaf anatomy of species in some dicotyledon families as related to C3 and C4 pathway of carbon fixation. Can. J. Bot. 48, 2138–2146 (1970)
Williams, G.J. III.: Photosynthetic adaptation to temperature in C3 and C4 grasses. Plant Physiol. 54, 709–711 (1974)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The Royal Society Aldabra Research Station
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hnatiuk, R.J. C4 photosynthesis in the vegetation of Aldabra Atoll. Oecologia 44, 327–334 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00545236
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00545236