Download EPP Chapter 3 Species Image Gallery

 Environmental Plant Physiology Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Species Image Gallery Species names in green bold text have images referred to in the text. Species names in black bold text have images that help to illustrate the topic of the chapter. All images are the author's unless otherwise specified. Neil Willey Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Ginkgo biloba L. [Common Names: Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree] (Ginkgoaceae). This is the single remaining species of an ancient division of the plant kingdom. Ginkgos are dioecious, with female plants producing naked ovules and male plants producing primitive pollen-­‐bearing cones. The long fossil record of G. biloba and its extinct relatives makes it useful for reconstructing the history of past CO2 concentrations. Metasequoia glyptostroboides L. [Common Name: Dawn Redwood] (Cupressaceae). This is the sole living representative of a gymnosperm lineage with a long fossil record. It is native to China, and was formerly known only from the fossil record, and assumed to be extinct. However, in the mid-­‐twentieth century, living specimens in China were recognized as the same species. It is used to reconstruct the history of past CO2 concentrations—a technique that relies on the effect, in many species, of CO2 concentration on stomatal development in leaves. Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench [Common Name: Sorghum] (Poaceae). This hardy drought-­‐tolerant cereal is native to Africa. It carries out C4 photosynthesis, which helps to explain its high water use efficiency and why it is seldom grown as a cereal in regions with a cool climate. Many sorghum varieties can survive dry spells by becoming dormant. Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. [Common Name: Pearl Millet] (Poaceae). This drought-­‐tolerant C4 cereal was domesticated in the Sahel region of West Africa. From there it spread to the rest of Africa and then to the Indian subcontinent, where it is now widely cultivated as well as in Africa. The photo below shows this tall cereal on the left and right, intercropped with groundnut—the low-­‐growing crop in the center. (Photo courtesy of RW Willey.) Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Zea mays L. [Common Names: Corn, Maize] (Poaceae). Corn was domesticated in Central America. It is a C4 plant with a high growth rate and high water use efficiency. Unusually for a grass, it is monoecious (male “tassels” are shown in the right-­‐hand photo below). It is widely grown around the world both for human consumption and for animal feed. Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter [Common Name: Tef] (Poaceae). This hardy C4 cereal was domesticated in Ethiopia, and the Horn of Africa is still its primary area of cultivation. It produces a small nutritious gluten-­‐free grain. The photo below shows tef growing in experimental plots in Ethiopia. (Photo courtesy of RW Willey.) Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. [Common Name: Pineapple] (Bromeliaceae). This species is native to South America. The “pineapple” forms when multiple berries develop after the fusion and maturation of adjacent ovaries. Ananas comosus is the most commercially important CAM plant. The photo below shows a pineapple crop in Hawaii, which for the first half of the twentieth century was an important area of pineapple production. Agave sisalana Perrine [Common Name: Sisal] (Asparagaceae). This CAM plant is native to Mexico, where it has long been cultivated. A young sisal plant is shown in the photo below. When the plant is mature, leaves can be harvested from it for several years. Fibers are extracted from the leaves. Sisal grows best in hot dry conditions, and has been widely introduced in the Americas and Africa. Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Agave tequilana F.A.C. Weber [Common Name: Tequila Agave] (Asparagaceae). This CAM plant is native to Mexico. It produces a sugar-­‐rich heart, from which an extract is obtained that is fermented and distilled to produce tequila. Tequila agaves are grown for several years before they are harvested by leaf removal to produce a cone-­‐like “piña.” Opuntia ficus-­‐indica (L.) Mill. [Common Name: Cactus Pear] (Cactaceae). This is the most economically important cactus crop. It is probably native to Mexico, where it has long been cultivated for its fruit. It is a very drought-­‐tolerant stem succulent that carries out CAM photosynthesis. It is now cultivated in many dry regions around the world. Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Sempervivum spp. [Common Name: Houseleek] (Crassulaceae). Sempervivum is a genus native to North Africa and the Mediterranean region through to Iran. It is a leaf succulent that carries out CAM photosynthesis. There are many popular horticultural varieties, one of which is shown in the photo below. Crassula mesembryanthemopsis Dinter & Dinter (Crassulaceae). This CAM plant is native to South-­‐West Africa. The tops of the succulent leaves protrude above the soil surface to provide a “window” for light to enter. The plant has a similar morphology to that of other, often unrelated, “window” or “stone” plants which combine this particular morphology with CAM photosynthesis. Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Sedum acre L. [Common Name: Biting Stonecrop] (Crassulaceae). This CAM plant is native to Europe. It commonly grows on dry stony cliffs and ledges, including dry stone walls. The succulent leaves contain a bitter acidic fluid. The plant produces abundant yellow flowers (shown in the inset at bottom right of the photo below). Oryza sativa L. [Common Name: Rice] (Poaceae). This species is a C3 plant, but as a C3 cereal that is widely grown in warm or hot conditions it is the focus of significant attempts to produce C4 varieties. The photo below shows rice grains that are nearly ready for harvest. Chapter 3 – Carbon Dioxide Welwitschia mirabilis Hook.f. [Common Name: Tree Tumbo] (Welwitschiaceae). This species is native to the coast of Namibia and southern Angola, and is a member of the Gnetophyta, a phylum related to the gymnosperms. It inhabits dry deserts and savannahs. Although predominantly a C3 plant, it makes some use of CAM photosynthesis. It produces just two leaves (one is shown in the photo below) which grow on either side of the central area that bears the reproductive strobili. (Photo courtesy of Roger Culos under CC BY-­‐SA 3.0.)