Photosynthetic pathway diversity in a seasonal pool community

Functional Ecology
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Abstract

1. Photosynthetic pathway diversity was evaluated for the dominant species in a seasonally aquatic community in the south-western USA using 14C pulse-chase techniques.

2. Under submerged conditions, only about half of the species were clearly C3, three of the 15 dominants were CAM, one species was C4 and three were potentially assimilating carbon with both C3 and C4 fixation.

3. During the brief terrestrial stage in the life history of these amphibious plants, both the CAM and the C3 + C4 species switched to C3, whereas the C4 species did not switch.

4. Numerous variations were apparent; for example, the C4 species, while exhibiting a biochemical pathway indistinguishable from terrestrial C4 plants, lacked Kranz anatomy in the aquatic foliage. Also, despite well-developed CAM in several species, others exhibited low-level diel changes in acidity, apparently not indicative of CAM.

5. Species with C4 or CAM CO2 concentrating mechanisms lacked the capacity for bicarbonate uptake, an alternative CO2 concentrating mechanism found in certain C3 species in this community.

6. Rubisco/PEPC in aquatic foliage was higher in C3 species than in C4, CAM or putative C3 + C4species. In the terrestrial phase, as expected, the switch from CAM or C3 + C4 to strictly C3assimilation was associated with a substantial increase in Rubisco/PEPC. Quite unexpected, however, was the substantial increase in this ratio in terrestrial C3 foliage. It is hypothesized that submerged C3 plants utilize PEPC for recycling of respiratory CO2 and/or C4 phototrophism under field conditions of limited CO2 and O2 saturation, and this is lost in the terrestrial foliage.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Photosynthetic pathway diversity in a seasonal pool community
Series title Functional Ecology
DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2435.1999.00294.x
Volume 13
Year Published 1999
Language English
Publisher British Ecological Society
Contributing office(s) Western Ecological Research Center
Description 13 p.
First page 106
Last page 118
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