Short-Term and Long-Term Responses of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Plants to Elevated CO2

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Abstract
For the leaf succulent Agave deserti and the stem succulent Ferocactus acanthodes, increasing the ambient CO2 level from 350 microliters per liter to 650 microliters per liter immediately increased daytime net CO2 uptake about 30% while leaving nighttime net CO2 uptake of these Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants approximately unchanged. A similar enhancement of about 30% was found in dry weight gain over 1 year when the plants were grown at 650 microliters CO2 per liter compared with 350 microliters per liter. Based on these results plus those at 500 microliters per liter, net CO2 uptake over 24-hour periods and dry weight productivity of these two CAM succulents is predicted to increase an average of about 1% for each 10 microliters per liter rise in ambient CO2 level up to 650 microliters per liter.