ArticlePlant physiology2016
Alarm Photosynthesis: Calcium Oxalate Crystals as an Internal CO2 Source in Plants.
Article in Plant physiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.
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Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- Integrating morphological and phytochemical characters in understanding the taxonomic relationship within some Ipomoea L. species.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Characterizing the causes and consequences of calcium oxalate crystal presence in Vitis riparia.American journal of botany · 2026Article
- Calcium dominance, ion regulation, and metabolic defenses underlie salt tolerance in the halophytePeerJ · 2026Article
- Microscopic attributes ofFrontiers in plant science · 2026Article
- Correlative microscopy for in-depth analysis of calcium oxalate crystals in plant tissues.Plant methods · 2025Article
- Learning fromInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Floral morphological and chemical analyses of Dienia flowers (Orchidaceae, Malaxidinae) relative to pollination processes.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Optimising plant growth, biomass partitioning, and nitrogen use efficiency in taro (Frontiers in plant science · 2025Article
- Nitrogen reduces calcium availability by promoting oxalate biosynthesis in apple leaves.Horticulture research · 2024Article
- Taxonomic implications of normal and abnormal stomatal complexes in Indigofera L. (Indigofereae, Faboideae, Fabaceae).Protoplasma · 2024Article
- Comparative Effects of Water Scarcity on the Growth and Development of Two Common Bean (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- In Situ Accumulation of CaOx Crystals inPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Oxalate and oxalotrophy: an environmental perspective.Sustainable microbiology · 2024Review
- Acclimation of the GrapevinePlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- A highlightedly improved method for isolating and characterizing calcium oxalate crystals from tubercles of Mammillaria schumannii.Plant methods · 2023Article
- The CAM lineages of planet Earth.Annals of botany · 2023Article
- Review
- Effects of Salinity on the Growth and Nutrition of Taro (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Anatomy and Ultrastructure of Galls Induced byInsects · 2021Article
- Calcium Oxalate Crystals in Leaves of the Extremophile PlantPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Calcium oxalate crystals are widespread among animals and plants. In land plants, crystals often reach high amounts, up to 80% of dry biomass. They are formed within specific cells, and their accumulation constitutes a normal activity rather than a pathological symptom, as occurs in animals. Despite their ubiquity, our knowledge on the formation and the possible role(s) of these crystals remains limited. We show that the mesophyll crystals of pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus) exhibit diurnal volume changes with a gradual decrease during daytime and a total recovery during the night. Moreover, stable carbon isotope composition indicated that crystals are of nonatmospheric origin. Stomatal closure (under drought conditions or exogenous application of abscisic acid) was accompanied by crystal decomposition and by increased activity of oxalate oxidase that converts oxalate into CO2 Similar results were also observed under drought stress in Dianthus chinensis, Pelargonium peltatum, and Portulacaria afra Moreover, in A. hybridus, despite closed stomata, the leaf metabolic profiles combined with chlorophyll fluorescence measurements indicated active photosynthetic metabolism. In combination, calcium oxalate crystals in leaves can act as a biochemical reservoir that collects nonatmospheric carbon, mainly during the night. During the day, crystal degradation provides subsidiary carbon for photosynthetic assimilation, especially under drought conditions. This new photosynthetic path, with the suggested name "alarm photosynthesis," seems to provide a number of adaptive advantages, such as water economy, limitation of carbon losses to the atmosphere, and a lower risk of photoinhibition, roles that justify its vast presence in plants.
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