Oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanges in crassulacean-acid-metabolism-plants

The 24 h O2 uptake and release together with the CO2 balance have been measured in two CAM plants, one a non-succulent Sempervivum grandifolium, the other a succulent Prenia sladeniana. The O2 uptake was estimated by the use of (18)O2. It was found that the mean hourly O2 uptake in the light was 7 times that in the dark for Sempervivum and 5 times that for Prenia, after correction for the lightdark temperature difference. It was estimated that oxygen uptake in the light was 2.4 times greater than oxygen release (=net photosynthesis) in Sempervivum and 1.4 times greater in Prenia. In both plants there was a positive carbon balance over the 24 h period under the experimental conditions. It was estimated that malate formed during the night could, if completely oxidized to CO2 and water, account for 74% of the light phase O2 uptake in Sempervivum. In Prenia the O2 uptake was more than sufficient to account for a full oxidation of malate.