Clusia—tropical trees that photosynthesize like desert cacti
December 12, 2005
Clusia is a genus of Neotropical species of shrubs and trees, with about 40 species native to Panama.
Clusia is a genus of Neotropical species of shrubs and trees, with about 40 species native to Panama. Physiologically they are unique amongst trees, because some species such as Clusia rosea use a special water-conserving form of photosynthesis known from desert cacti, the so-called CAM pathway, whereby CO2 is fixed at night. Other Clusia species are regular C3 plants exhibiting CO2 fixation during daytime only.
Most notably, certain species have the unique ability to reversibly shift from the C3 to the CAM pathway in response to drought. “It's hard to imagine a more intriguing comparative study system in the area of tropical plant ecophysiology than the genus Clusia” says STRI staff scientist Klaus Winter who has studied Clusia species for many years, and together with research assistant Jorge Aranda has set up a Clusiarum at the Santa Cruz research facility in Gamboa.
At a hydrology symposium held recently at STRI, Winter concluded that “When it comes to reforestation projects on degraded lands where soil erosion is a problem and conservation of soil water is important, CAM trees such as Clusia rosea should be first choice.”
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