Abstract
THE effect of carbon dioxide-free air in producing stomatal opening is well known, but practically nothing is known concerning the biochemistry of its action. Some recent work has revealed that the metabolism of glycollic acid may be implicated in stomatal movements and an attempt has been made to explain the response to low carbon dioxide tension in terms of a promotion of glycollic acid synthesis1–3. Stomatal opening in response to low carbon dioxide levels appears to have been considered purely as a light reaction; it is stated3 that “low concentrations of carbon dioxide in light are necessary in order to obtain large stomatal widths”. The fact is, however, that opening due to the removal of carbon dioxide can occur in the absence of light. This was observed in 1948 by Heath for Pelargonium4, and by several authors since, including Stålfelt5.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Zelitch, I., Proc. U.S. Nat. Acad. Sci., 47, 1423 (1961).
Walker, D. A., and Zelitch, I., Plant Physiol., 38, 390 (1963).
Zelitch, I., Connecticut Agric. Exp. Stat. Bull., 664, 18 (1963).
Heath, O. V. S., Nature, 161, 179 (1948).
Stålfelt, M. G., Physiol. Plant., 14, 826 (1961).
Mansfield, T. A., and Heath, O. V. S., J. Exp. Bot., 14, 334 (1963).
Butt, V. S., and Peel, M., Biochem. J., 88, 31P (1963).
Tolbert, N. E., Brookhaven Symp. Biol., 11, 271 (1958).
Heath, O. V. S., and Russell, J., J. Exp. Bot., 5, 269 (1954).
Pritchard, G. G., Griffin, W. J., and Whittingham, C. P., J. Exp. Bot., 13, 176 (1962).
Heath, O. V. S., and Mansfield, T. A., Proc. Roy. Soc., B, 156, 1 (1962).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MANSFIELD, T. Glycollic Acid Metabolism and the Movements of Stomata. Nature 205, 617–618 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/205617a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/205617a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
