COMPARATIVE GAS EXCHANGE OF LEAVES AND BARK IN THREE STEM SUCCULENTS OF BAJA CALIFORNIA

Abstract

Arborescent stem succulents in tropical and subtropical deserts depend on scarce and uncertain rainfall. Gas exchange and the diurnal acidity fluctuation of bark and ephemeral leaves were measured under both dry and moist soil conditions in Fouquieria columnaris (cirio or boojum tree) and Pachycormus discolor (torote bianco or elephant tree) and in stems of the columnar cactus Pachycereus pringlei (cardon) in the Central Desert of Baja California, Mexico. Results demonstrated that ephemeral leaves were the only site of exogenous CO2 assimilation in F. columnaris and P. discolor ; there was no measurable gas exchange across the green photosynthetic bark. The pattern of gas exchange in F. columnaris and P. discolor was consistent with that of C3 plants. P. pringlei was shown to be a typical Crassulacean acid metabolism plant on the basis of acid fluctuations and gas exchange. Chlorophyll fluorescence studies of the green bark of F. columnaris and P. discolor indicated that this tissue is photosynthetically functional, and that CO2 assimilation can rise above the compensation point under high CO2 concentrations, such as may occur within the plant. The green photosynthetic bark of these species may be an adaptation for surviving prolonged drought and may function to recycle endogenous respiratory CO2, thus maintaining the plant's energy reserves and permitting rapid production of leaves in response to infrequent rains.