Functional Anatomy of Succulents

Succulent plants have evolved anatomical and physiological characteristics that enabled their expansion into arid environments. Specialized succulent tissues store and remobilize water during water-scarce growth periods, and the most water-use-efficient mode of photosynthesis, Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM), allows for an advantageous flexibility in hot and dry environments. However, whether succulent anatomy is required for efficient CAM photosynthesis and how succulent development is regulated remain largely unknown.

Simplified scheme of CAM photosynthesis
© Ari Pereira Gomes Filho

To study functional anatomy development, we established the leaf succulent and constitutive CAM plant Kalanchoë laxiflora as an experimental model system (Cheng et al., 2026). Interestingly, Kalanchoë laxiflora presents an ontogenetic transition from C3 photosynthesis in young leaves to CAM photosynthesis in mature leaves, enabling anatomical, physiological, metabolic, and transcriptomic comparisons between C3 and CAM leaves in a single plant. This understanding will provide valuable insights into potential strategies to improve crop resilience under limited and unpredictable water availability. 

Cheng, Xin, Heike Lindner, Lidia Hoffmann, Antonio Aristides Pereira Gomes Filho, Paola Ruiz Duarte, Susanna F Boxall, Yiğit Berkay Gündoğmuş, et al. 2026. “MUTE Drives Asymmetric Divisions to Form Stomatal Subsidiary Cells in Crassulaceae Succulents”. Science Advances 12 (13). American Association for the Advancement of Science: 10.1126/sciadv.aeb8145.

Swiss National Science Foundation

The lab is funded by an SNSF Starting Grant