Abstract
Summary During the spring of 1977, pathways of carbon assimilation were studied in specimens from natural populations of the annual Mesembryantbemum nodiflorum (Aizoaceae) occupying two sites in Israel: a) a coastal habitat at the Mediterranean Sea shore, and b) an inland habitat in the central Negev desert. Determinations of diurnal malate content and γ13 C values of the leaves indicated a shift in the mode of carbon assimilation during the life cycle of the plants. The data suggest the operation of C 3 photosynthesis in the plants during the wet season followed by the development of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism when rainfall ceases and water availability is reduced.
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