ArticleAnnals of botany2023
Low internal air space in plants with crassulacean acid metabolism may be an anatomical spandrel.
Article in Annals of botany, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stronger expression of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) requires effective cuticular transpiration barriers but not necessarily strong succulence.The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Synthetic crassulacean acid metabolism (SynCAM) for improving water-use efficiency in plants.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Review
- Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) at the crossroads: a special issue to honour 50 years of CAM research by Klaus Winter.Annals of botany · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a photosynthetic adaptation found in at least 38 plant families. Typically, the anatomy of CAM plants is characterized by large photosynthetic cells and a low percentage of leaf volume consisting of internal air space (% IAS). It has been suggested that reduced mesophyll conductance (gm) arising from low % IAS benefits CAM plants by preventing the movement of CO2 out of cells and ultimately minimizing leakage of CO2 from leaves into the atmosphere during day-time decarboxylation. Here, we propose that low % IAS does not provide any adaptive benefit to CAM plants, because stomatal closure during phase III of CAM will result in internal concentrations of CO2 becoming saturated, meaning low gm will not have any meaningful impact on the flux of gases within leaves. We suggest that low % IAS is more likely an indirect consequence of maximizing the cellular volume within a leaf, to provide space for the overnight storage of malic acid during the CAM cycle.
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