title: Nonlinear dynamics of the CAM circadian rhythm in response to environmental forcing.
abstract: Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis functions as an endogenous circadian rhythm coupled to external environmental forcings of energy and water availability. This paper explores the nonlinear dynamics of a new CAM photosynthesis model (Bartlett et al., 2014) and investigates the responses of CAM plant carbon assimilation to different combinations of environmental conditions. The CAM model (Bartlett et al., 2014) consists of a Calvin cycle typical of C3 plants coupled to an oscillator of the type employed in the Van der Pol and FitzHugh-Nagumo systems. This coupled system is a function of environmental variables including leaf temperature, leaf moisture potential, and irradiance. Here, we explore the qualitative response of the system and the expected carbon assimilation under constant and periodically forced environmental conditions. The model results show how the diurnal evolution of these variables entrains the CAM cycle with prevailing environmental conditions. While constant environmental conditions generate either steady-state or periodically oscillating responses in malic acid uptake and release, forcing the CAM system with periodic daily fluctuations in light exposure and leaf temperature results in quasi-periodicity and possible chaos for certain ranges of these variables. This analysis is a first step in quantifying changes in CAM plant productivity with variables such as the mean temperature, daily temperature range, irradiance, and leaf moisture potential. Results may also be used to inform model parametrization based on the observed fluctuating regime.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA. Electronic address: samhartz@mit.edu.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartzell
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. Electronic address: Mark.Bartlett@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.affiliation: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. Electronic address: l.virgin@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Virgin
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. Electronic address: amilcare.porporato@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Amilcare
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porporato
mesh_terms: D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D029627:Crassulaceae / Q000378:metabolism*; D004777:Environment; D008954:Models, Biological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon
keywords: Bifurcation; Chaos; Circadian rhythm oscillator; Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis; Quasi-periodicity