Photosynthetic Patterns of 3 Crassulacean Plants under Drought Conditions

Abstract

Higher plants can be categorized as C3, C4 or CAM according to their photosynthetic pathways, and some succulent plants are known to shift their patterns of photosynthesis from C3 to CAM in response to environmental stresses such as salt treatment or water deficiency. To investigate fundamental photosynthetic patterns and the induction of pattern shifts (C3, CAM, C3-CAM etc.) as a result of environmental stresses, we measured the water content, diurnal changes in pH, net <TEX>$CO_2$</TEX> exchange, transpiration rate, total ionic contents, and osmolality of Kalancoe daigremontiana, Sedum kamschaticum and Sedum sarmentosum which belong to Crassulaceae known as representative CAM plant, after 10 days of drought treatment. S. kamschaticum and S. sarmentosum did not show a significant difference in diurnal pH variation in the treatment and control conditions. However, the pH of drought-treated Kalancoe was low at night and high in the daytime, with a pH value between 4 and 5. Typical CAM plants display a net <TEX>$CO_2$</TEX> exchange that increases at night and decreases in the daytime. Kalancoe displayed the predicted pattern. However, S. kamschaticum and S. sarmentosum showed a photosynthetic pattern more typical of C3 plants, and did not show changes in photosynthetic pattern under drought stress. Kalancoe also showed a transpiration rate typical for CAM pho-tosynthesis, whereas the transpiration rates of S. kamschaticum and S. sarmentosum were in the typical range for C3 photosynthesis. Kalancoe had high total ionic contents during the night, which decreased somewhat during the daytime, whereas S. kamschaticum and S. sarmentosum displayed the opposite pattern. This result is similar to the diurnal patterns of changes in pH in the three plant species, which suggests a relationship between pH and ionic contents. S. sarmentosum showed lower osmolality under drought stress than in the control condition, whereas the osmolality of Kalancoe and S. kamschaticum did not differ between conditions. S. sarmentosum may have maintained internal water content by lowering its osmolality and raising its total ionic contents. In conclusion, Kalancoe displayed the characteristic responses of a typical CAM plant, whereas S. kamschaticum and S. sarmentosum displayed aspects of the C3 photosynthetic pattern under drought conditions. These results suggest that S. kamschaticum and S. sarmentosum (Crassulacea) in Korea overcome drought stress by increasing solute and ionic contents internally rather than changing their photosynthetic pattern from C3 to CAM under drought stress.