The Occurrence of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in Epiphytic Ferns, with an Emphasis on the Vittariaceae

Martin, Shannon L.; Davis, Ryan D.; Protti, Piero; Lin, Teng Chiu; Lin, Shin Hwei; Martin, Craig E.

doi:10.1086/430334

Cited by 25 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…What can we expect of Cheilanthoid gametophytes? By contrast to these desert taxa, the Ceratopteridoid clade is restricted to freshwater swamps and mangroves, while the Vittarioids are exclusively epiphytic, with some species exhibiting CAM photosynthesis (Martin et al, 2005; Schuettpelz et al, 2007; Hietz, 2010). Are members of the Pteridaceae physiologically or structurally pre-disposed to tolerate water deficit?…”

Section: Epiphytism and Radiation Into Diverse Nichesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The physiological resilience of fern sporophytes and gametophytes: advances in water relations offer new insights into an old lineage

Pittermann¹,

Brodersen²,

Watkins³

2013

Front. Plant Sci.

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Ferns are some of the oldest vascular plants in existence and they are the second most diverse lineage of tracheophytes next to angiosperms. Recent efforts to understand fern success have focused on the physiological capacity and stress tolerance of both the sporophyte and the gametophyte generations. In this review, we examine these insights through the lens of plant water relations, focusing primarily on the form and function of xylem tissue in the sporophyte, as well as the tolerance to and recovery from drought and desiccation stress in both stages of the fern life cycle. The absence of secondary xylem in ferns is compensated by selection for efficient primary xylem composed of large, closely arranged tracheids with permeable pit membranes. Protection from drought-induced hydraulic failure appears to arise from a combination of pit membrane traits and the arrangement of vascular bundles. Features such as tracheid-based xylem and variously sized megaphylls are shared between ferns and more derived lineages, and offer an opportunity to compare convergent and divergent hydraulic strategies critical to the success of xylem-bearing plants. Fern gametophytes show a high degree of desiccation tolerance but new evidence shows that morphological attributes in the gametophytes may facilitate water retention, though little work has addressed the ecological significance of this variation. We conclude with an emergent hypothesis that selection acted on the physiology of both the sporophyte and gametophyte generations in a synchronous manner that is consistent with selection for drought tolerance in the epiphytic niche, and the increasingly diverse habitats of the mid to late Cenozoic.

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Section: Epiphytism and Radiation Into Diverse Nichesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The physiological resilience of fern sporophytes and gametophytes: advances in water relations offer new insights into an old lineage

Pittermann¹,

Brodersen²,

Watkins³

2013

Front. Plant Sci.

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“…F. (Welwischiaceae) (von Willert et al 2005), the Cycadales, Dioon edule Lindl. (Zamiaceae) (Vovides et al 2002) and in several epiphytic families of ferns within the Polypodiaceae (Holtum and Winter 1999) and the Vittariaceae (Martin et al 2005).…”

Section: Taxonomic Distribution Of Cammentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution along the crassulacean acid metabolism continuum

Silvera

Neubig

Whitten

et al. 2010

Functional Plant Biol.

196

199

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Abstract. Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a specialised mode of photosynthesis that improves atmospheric CO 2 assimilation in water-limited terrestrial and epiphytic habitats and in CO 2 -limited aquatic environments. In contrast with C 3 and C 4 plants, CAM plants take up CO 2 from the atmosphere partially or predominantly at night. CAM is taxonomically widespread among vascular plants and is present in many succulent species that occupy semiarid regions, as well as in tropical epiphytes and in some aquatic macrophytes. This water-conserving photosynthetic pathway has evolved multiple times and is found in close to 6% of vascular plant species from at least 35 families. Although many aspects of CAM molecular biology, biochemistry and ecophysiology are well understood, relatively little is known about the evolutionary origins of CAM. This review focuses on five main topics: (1) the permutations and plasticity of CAM, (2) the requirements for CAM evolution, (3) the drivers of CAM evolution, (4) the prevalence and taxonomic distribution of CAM among vascular plants with emphasis on the Orchidaceae and (5) the molecular underpinnings of CAM evolution including circadian clock regulation of gene expression.

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“…On the other hand, reports of CAM in epiphytes that are found in the understory and/or dense canopies of rain forests in tropical and subtropical regions with extremely abundant and frequent rainfall and a short or no dry season are puzzling (e.g. Martin et al 1981, 1985, 2005, Winter et al 1983, Adams 1988, Griffiths 1988, Kluge et al 1989, Carter and Martin 1994, Skillman and Winter 1997. Because atmospheric CO 2 concentrations in the C 3 host canopies are higher at night due to respiration of the canopy leaves, relative to the canopy atmosphere during the day when the host leaves are absorbing CO 2 (see references below), it is tempting to speculate that, as in aquatic CAM plants, CAM might have evolved in such epiphytes in response to CO 2 availability instead of drought stress (Knauft and Arditti 1969, Benzing 1990, Carter and Martin 1994.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canopy CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations and Crassulacean acid metabolism in Hoya carnosa in a subtropical rain forest in Taiwan: consideration of CO<sub>2</sub> availability and the evolution of CAM in epiphytes

Hsu¹,

Lin²,

Chiou³

et al. 2006

Photosynt.

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The potential importance of CO 2 derived from host tree respiration at night as a substrate for night time CO 2 uptake during CAM was investigated in the subtropical and tropical epiphytic vine Hoya carnosa in a subtropical rainforest in north-eastern Taiwan. Individuals were examined within the canopies of host trees in open, exposed situations, as well as in dense forests. Although night time CO 2 concentrations were higher near the epiphytic vines at night, relative to those measured during the day, presumably the result of CO 2 added to the canopy air by the host tree, no evidence for substantial use of this CO 2 was found. In particular, stable carbon isotope ratios of H. carnosa were not substantially lower than those of many other CAM plants, as would be expected if host-respired CO 2 were an important source of CO 2 for these CAM epiphytes. Furthermore, laboratory measurements of diel CO 2 exchange revealed a substantial contribution of daytime CO 2 uptake in these vines, which should also result in lower carbon isotope values than those characteristic of a CAM plant lacking daytime CO 2 uptake. Overall, we found that host-respired CO 2 does not contribute substantially to the carbon budget of this epiphytic CAM plant. This finding does not support the hypothesis that CAM may have evolved in tropical epiphytes in response to diel changes in the CO 2 concentrations within the host tree canopy.

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The Occurrence of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in Epiphytic Ferns, with an Emphasis on the Vittariaceae

Cited by 25 publications

References 37 publications

The physiological resilience of fern sporophytes and gametophytes: advances in water relations offer new insights into an old lineage

The physiological resilience of fern sporophytes and gametophytes: advances in water relations offer new insights into an old lineage

Evolution along the crassulacean acid metabolism continuum

Canopy CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations and Crassulacean acid metabolism in Hoya carnosa in a subtropical rain forest in Taiwan: consideration of CO<sub>2</sub> availability and the evolution of CAM in epiphytes

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