Abstract
Desert succulents are primarily represented in North America by the stem-succulent cacti (Family Cactaceae) and the leaf-succulent agaves and broadleaf yuccas (Family Agavaceae). There are two aspects of the functional ecology of this group that are unique and may be critically important for their survival in arid regions. First, they exhibit Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), a carbon assimilation pathway that is characterized by nighttime stomatal opening, malate accumulation in the dark, and the subsequent daytime decarboxylation of malate which feeds a second carboxylation in the C3 photosynthetic cycle behind closed stomata (Osmond 1978; Ting 1985). Second, agaves and cacti exhibit succulence, a morphology characterized by extensive water storage tissues that are composed of very large cells. CAM and succulence are inextricably linked through the presence of large vacuoles in the cells of succulent tissues; these vacuoles serve as a storage location for both malate and water.
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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Smith, S.D., Monson, R.K., Anderson, J.E. (1997). CAM Succulents. In: Physiological Ecology of North American Desert Plants. Adaptations of Desert Organisms. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59212-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59212-6_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-63900-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59212-6
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