Relationships between leaf succulence and Crassulacean acid metabolism in the genus Sansevieria (Asparagaceae)

• Published in: Flora. Morphologie, Geobotanik, Oekophysiologie Geobotanik, Oekophysiologie, 2019-12, Vol.261, p.151489, Article 151489
• Main Authors: Martin, Craig E., Herppich, Werner B., Roscher, Yvonne, Burkart, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anatomy; CAM; Chlorenchyma; Chlorophyll; Hydrenchyma; Morphology; Phylogeny
• ISSN: 0367-2530; 1618-0585
• DOI: 10.1016/j.flora.2019.151489

•Relationships between leaf succulence and CAM was evaluated in 10 Sansevieria species.•CAM correlated negatively with leaf thickness and leaf hydrenchyma/chlorenchyma ratio.•CAM correlated negatively with leaf water content, if based on fresh but not dry mass.•CAM was not correlated with “mesophyll succulence” or leaf chlorophyll concentration.•CAM and succulence arose multiple times in the genus Sansevieria. Relationships between different measures of succulence and Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM; defined here as nocturnal increases in tissue acidity) were investigated in leaves of ten species of Sansevieriaunder greenhouse conditions. CAM was found in seven of the ten species investigated, and CAM correlated negatively with leaf thickness and leaf hydrenchyma/chlorenchyma ratio. Similarly, CAM correlated negatively with leaf water content, but only when expressed on a fresh mass basis. CAM was not correlated with “mesophyll succulence”, but weakly with leaf chlorophyll concentration. These results indicate that CAM is associated more with “all-cell succulence” and not with the amount of leaf hydrenchyma in the genus Sansevieria. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of defining the nature of “leaf succulence” in studies of photosynthetic pathways and leaf morphology. Evidence is also provided that CAM and succulence arose multiple times in the genus Sansevieria.