Photosynthetic pathways and ecological distribution ofEuphorbiaspecies in Egypt

✍ Scribed by K. H. Batanouny; W. Stichler; H. Ziegler

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 428 KB
• Volume: 87
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0029-8549
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00320421

✦ Synopsis

The photosynthetic pathways of 42 species of the genusEuphorbia growing wild, naturalized or cultivated in Egypt were investigated. The criteria used included the δC- and δD-values and Kranz anatomy of the leaves. There is a relationship between the photosynthetic pathway and the ecological conditions in the habitat of a particular species. All 4 CAM species are succulent shrubs, wild or cultivated. The 11 species with C pathways are mainly summer annuals of tropical origin and flourish under the hot summer conditions. The 27 C species are either winter annuals, perennials, perennials flourishing in winter or shrubs; the majority are Mediterranean, European or Saharo-Arabian. Summer annuals with C pathways grow under the shade of the summer crops. Generally, C plants grow under conditions of relatively better water resources and lower temperature than the C plants. The majority of the CAM and C species occur in the southern part of the country, where high temperature is a common feature of the climate.