C3 photosynthetic activity in ephemeral leaflets of the constitutive CAM species Opuntia ficus-indica.
Ephemeral leaflets are produced on emerging daughter cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica, a constitutive crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species of major agronomic and ecological importance. Despite their ubiquity across Cactaceae, these transient organs have never been characterized as discrete photosynthetic units. H...