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Features of Roots of CAM Plants

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Crassulacean Acid Metabolism

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 114))

Abstract

Plants utilizing crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) typically grow in habitats with prolonged dry periods (Kluge and Ting 1978; Osmond et al. 1982; Winter 1985). Root access to water and nutrients is restricted by low soil moisture, such as in deserts and other seasonally arid environments, or by limited soil volume, such as in rock crevices and tree bark. For plants under these conditions, a root system that readily takes up water from a wet soil but limits water loss to a dry soil is particularly advantageous. Indeed, the root systems of CAM plants such as desert succulents have several features that facilitate absorption and conduction of water when it is available, reduce water loss when the soil is dry, and regain high water uptake rates when the soil is rewetted (Kausch 1965; Nobel and Sanderson 1984; Nobel and Cui 1992; North and Nobel 1991, 1992).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, University of California, 900 Veteran Avenue, 90024-1786, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    P. S. Nobel & G. B. North

Authors
  1. P. S. Nobel
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  2. G. B. North
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 2072, Balboa, Republic of Panama

    Klaus Winter

  2. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK

    J. Andrew C. Smith

  3. Magdalen College, Oxford, OX1 4AU, UK

    J. Andrew C. Smith

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Nobel, P.S., North, G.B. (1996). Features of Roots of CAM Plants. In: Winter, K., Smith, J.A.C. (eds) Crassulacean Acid Metabolism. Ecological Studies, vol 114. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79060-7_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79060-7_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-79062-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-79060-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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