Abstract
The potential for Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) was investigated in the sandstone outcrop succulent Talinum calycinum in central Kansas. Field studies revealed CAM-like diurnal acid fluctuations in these plants. These fluctuations persisted under all moisture and temperature regimes in the laboratory. Despite this CAM-like acid metabolism, simultaneous gravimetric determinations of day- and nighttime transpiration rates indicated the presence of a C(3) gas exchange pattern. Subsequent analyses of diurnal CO(2) and H(2)O exchange patterns under well-watered conditions and after 3, 5, and 7 days of drought confirmed these findings, though low rates of nocturnal CO(2) uptake were observed on the fifth night after continuous drought. Finally, the delta(13)C/(12)C value of this succulent, -27.8 per thousand, emphasizes the insignificance of any nocturnal CO(2) uptake in the lifelong accumulation of carbon in this species. Thus, it is proposed that T. calycinum is a C(3) plant with some CAM characteristics, including the ability to re-fix respiratory CO(2) at night under all moisture regimes, potentially resulting in a conservation of carbon, and occasionally to fix atmospheric CO(2) at night. These findings may prove to be common among rock outcrop succulents.
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