Stomatal responses of the 'living fossil' Ginkgo biloba L. to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations
Open Access
- 1 September 1998
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Experimental Botany
- Vol. 49 (326) , 1603-1607
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/49.326.1603
Abstract
Leaf stomatal density and index of Ginkgo biloba L. were both significantly (P2 (560 ppm), with values comparable to those of cuticles prepared from Triassic and Jurassic fossil Ginkgo leaves thought to have developed in the high CO2 ‘greenhouse world’ of the Mesozoic. A reciprocal transfer experiment indicated that reductions in stomatal density and index irreversibly reduced stomatal conductance, particularly at low leaf-to-air vapour pressure deficits and low internal leaf CO2 concentrations (Ci). These effects probably contributed to the high water-use efficiency of Ginkgo spp. in the Mesozoic relative to those of the present, as determined from carbon isotope measurements of extant and fossil cuticles.Keywords
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