Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by PALTA, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by NOBEL, P. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by PALTA, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by NOBEL, P. S.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by PALTA, J. A.
Right arrow Articles by NOBEL, P. S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1989 Oxford University Press

RESEARCH-ARTICLE

Root Respiration for Agave deserti: Influence of Temperature, Water Status and Root Age on Daily Patterns

JAIRO A. PALTA and PARK S. NOBEL1

Department of Biology and Laboratory of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA

1 To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Root respiration, measured as CO2 efflux, was studied for a succulent perennial from the Sonoran Desert, Agave deserti, with a new technique using individual, attached roots. The daily patterns of root respiration closely followed the daily patterns of root temperature for both established roots and rain roots, with higher rates during the day when root temperature averaged 27°C and lower rates at night when root temperature averaged 17°C. When root temperature was raised from 5°C to 40°C, root respiration increased about 7-fold; from 45 °C to 55 °C, root respiration decreased about 2-fold, except for old established roots. Root respiration per unit dry weight for both root types decreased with age, the initial decrease being greater for rain roots than for established roots. Root respiration rates for rain roots were reduced to zero at a soil water potential ({psi}soil) of –0.9 MPa and did not recover upon rewatering. Upon drying, root respiration rates for established roots were maintained at about 12% of maximum, even when {psi}soil fell to –1.6 MPa, and fully recovered 1.5 d after rewatering the soil. Such responses of rain and established roots must be taken into account when assessing the carbon costs for the root system.

Key words: Agave deserti, CO2 exchange, root respiration, temperature, soil water potential


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ANN BOT (LOND)Home page
O. K. Atkin and D. Macherel
The crucial role of plant mitochondria in orchestrating drought tolerance
Ann. Bot., February 1, 2009; 103(4): 581 - 597.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
M. Ribas-Carbo, N. L. Taylor, L. Giles, S. Busquets, P. M. Finnegan, D. A. Day, H. Lambers, H. Medrano, J. A. Berry, and J. Flexas
Effects of Water Stress on Respiration in Soybean Leaves
Plant Physiology, September 1, 2005; 139(1): 466 - 473.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ANN BOT (LOND)Home page
P. S. NOBEL and E. G. BOBICH
Initial Net CO2 Uptake Responses and Root Growth for a CAM Community Placed in a Closed Environment
Ann. Bot., November 1, 2002; 90(5): 593 - 598.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Plant Physiol.Home page
P. Martre, G. B. North, and P. S. Nobel
Hydraulic Conductance and Mercury-Sensitive Water Transport for Roots of Opuntia acanthocarpa in Relation to Soil Drying and Rewetting
Plant Physiology, May 1, 2001; 126(1): 352 - 362.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.