show Abstracthide AbstractTo elucidate the genomic mechanisms behind the evolution of Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), we conducted mRNA sequencing from four genera in the Agavoideae - Agave, Manfreda, Polianthes, and Beschorneria - that vary in their photosynthetic pathway. Tissue was sampled every four hours over a 24-hour period in a growth chamber, under both well-watered and drought-stressed conditions. Resulting transcriptomes were compared in their gene expression profiles to discover shared and novel expression patterns between C3 and CAM lineages.