Ecophysiology of a wild platyopuntia exposed to prolonged drought

Pimienta-Barrios, Eulogio; Castillo-Aranda, María Eugenia González Del; Nobel, Park S.

doi:10.1016/s0098-8472(01)00114-9

Cited by 29 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The reason for this increase could be the building up of reserves during the night and use of them in the morning. Pimienta- Barrios et al (2002) and Nobel and De la Barrea (2002) also reported the highest rates of net CO 2 uptake by O. robusta during water stress periods towards the end of the night. The opposite happened during the afternoon in this study when root length decreased with water stress for both species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Studies on adaptations to drought under field conditions are scarce in the native habitats of Opuntias (Pimienta- Barrios et al, 2002). Various responses of specific Opuntia ficusindica to the environment and literature on its physiology has become quite rich in the last decades, a sign of the increasing economical importance (fruit and fodder) of the crop (Pimienta- Barrios et al, 1993;Inglese et al, 1995;Fabbri et al, 1996;Le Houe´rou, 1996;Nobel, 1997;Mizrahi et al, 1997;Felker and Inglese, 2003;Galizzi et al, 2004;Felker et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A greenhouse study on root dynamics of cactus pears, Opuntia ficus-indica and O. robusta

Snyman

2006

Journal of Arid Environments

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A greenhouse study on root dynamics of cactus pears, Opuntia ficus-indica and O. robusta

Snyman

2006

Journal of Arid Environments

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Our hypothesis was based on previously reported observations of gas exchange in Opuntia robusta, a constitutive Sonoran desert CAM plant showing increased CO 2 uptake with increasing humidity, with highest uptake rates observed during the summer monsoon months (Pimienta-Barrios et al 2002). Carbon uptake in saguaro was restricted to nighttime and the Wrst hour of light.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Seasonal photosynthetic gas exchange and water-use efficiency in a constitutive CAM plant, the giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and the capacity to store large quantities of water are thought to confer high water use efficiency (WUE) and survival of succulent plants in warm desert environments. Yet the highly variable precipitation, temperature and humidity conditions in these environments likely have unique impacts on underlying processes regulating photosynthetic gas exchange and WUE, limiting our ability to predict growth and survival responses of desert CAM plants to climate change. We monitored net CO(2) assimilation (A(net)), stomatal conductance (g(s)), and transpiration (E) rates periodically over 2 years in a natural population of the giant columnar cactus Carnegiea gigantea (saguaro) near Tucson, Arizona USA to investigate environmental and physiological controls over carbon gain and water loss in this ecologically important plant. We hypothesized that seasonal changes in daily integrated water use efficiency (WUE(day)) in this constitutive CAM species would be driven largely by stomatal regulation of nighttime transpiration and CO(2) uptake responding to shifts in nighttime air temperature and humidity. The lowest WUE(day) occurred during time periods with extreme high and low air vapor pressure deficit (D(a)). The diurnal with the highest D(a) had low WUE(day) due to minimal net carbon gain across the 24 h period. Low WUE(day) was also observed under conditions of low D(a); however, it was due to significant transpiration losses. Gas exchange measurements on potted saguaro plants exposed to experimental changes in D(a) confirmed the relationship between D(a) and g(s). Our results suggest that climatic changes involving shifts in air temperature and humidity will have large impacts on the water and carbon economy of the giant saguaro and potentially other succulent CAM plants of warm desert environments.

show abstract

“…For ephemerals and annuals, large quantities of dormant seed (Cohen 1966;Went 1979) provide this carry-over mechanism. The storage of water in conjunction with waterconserving CAM metabolism allows succulents to maintain a positive carbon balance during long interpulse periods, without experiencing lethally low water potentials (e.g., Pimienta-Barrios et al 2002). Perennial grasses and shrubs persist through unfavorable periods by a variety of drought-avoidance and tolerance mechanisms and by storage of carbon and nutrients in stems or belowground organs (Warner and Chesson 1985;Chapin et al 1990).…”

Section: Plant Growth and Pulse Use: The Storage Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource pulses, species interactions, and diversity maintenance in arid and semi-arid environments

et al. 2004

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Arid environments are characterized by limited and variable rainfall that supplies resources in pulses. Resource pulsing is a special form of environmental variation, and the general theory of coexistence in variable environments suggests specific mechanisms by which rainfall variability might contribute to the maintenance of high species diversity in arid ecosystems. In this review, we discuss physiological, morphological, and life-history traits that facilitate plant survival and growth in strongly water-limited variable environments, outlining how species differences in these traits may promote diversity. Our analysis emphasizes that the variability of pulsed environments does not reduce the importance of species interactions in structuring communities, but instead provides axes of ecological differentiation between species that facilitate their coexistence. Pulses of rainfall also influence higher trophic levels and entire food webs. Better understanding of how rainfall affects the diversity, species composition, and dynamics of arid environments can contribute to solving environmental problems stemming from land use and global climate change.

show abstract

Ecophysiology of a wild platyopuntia exposed to prolonged drought

Cited by 29 publications

References 25 publications

A greenhouse study on root dynamics of cactus pears, Opuntia ficus-indica and O. robusta

A greenhouse study on root dynamics of cactus pears, Opuntia ficus-indica and O. robusta

Seasonal photosynthetic gas exchange and water-use efficiency in a constitutive CAM plant, the giant saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)

Resource pulses, species interactions, and diversity maintenance in arid and semi-arid environments

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About