Le vie fotosintetiche C3, C4e CAM nel contesto ecologico

Abstract

Abstract Ecological aspects of C3, C4 and CAM photosynthetic pathways. - Three different photosynthetic CO2 fixation pathways are known to occur in higher plants. However all three pathways ultimately depend on the Calvin-Benson cycle for carbon reduction. The oxygenase activity of RuBP carboxilase is responsible for photorespiratory CO2 release. Both C4 and CAM pathways behave as a CO2 concentrating mechanism which prevent photorespiration. The CO2-concentrating mechanism in C4 plants is based on intracellular symplastic transport of C4 dicarboxylic acids from mesophyll-cells to the adjacent bundle-sheath cells. On the contrary in CAM plants the CO2-concentrating mechanism is based on the intracellular transport of malic acid into and out of the vacuole. The C4 photosynthetic pathway as compared to the C3 pathway permits higher rates of CO2 fixation in high light and high temperature environments at low costs in terms of water loss, given the stability of the photosynthetic apparatus under such conditions. CAM is interpreted as an adaptation to arid environments because it enables carbon assimilation to take place at very low water costs during the night when the evaporative demand is low. Nevertheless many aquatic species of Isoetes and some relatives are CAM, suggesting the adaptive role of CAM to environments which become depleted in CO2. The photosynthetic carbon fixation pathway certainly contributes to the ecological success of plants in different environments. However the distribution of plants may also reflect their biological history. On the other hand plants with different photosynthetic pathways coexist in many communities and tend to share resources in time. In any case some generalizations are possible: C4 plants enjoy an ecological advantage in hot, moist, high light regions while the majority of species in desert environments are C3; CAM plants are more frequent in semiarid regions with seasonal rainfall, coastal fog deserts, and in epiphytic habitats in tropical rain forests.