xylem

Anatomical and hydraulic responses to desiccation in emergent conifer seedlings

PREMISE: The young seedling life stage is critical for reforestation after disturbance and for species migration under climate change, yet little is known regarding their basic hydraulic function or vulnerability to drought. Here, we sought to …

Functional status of xylem through time

Water transport in vascular plants represents a critical component of terrestrial water cycles and supplies the water needed for the exchange of CO2 in the atmosphere for photosynthesis. Yet, many fundamental principles of water transport are dif …

Hydraulic conductance, resistance, and resilience: how leaves of a tropical epiphyte respond to drought

PREMISE: Because of its broad range in the neotropical rainforest and within tree canopies, the tank bromeliad _Guzmania monostachia_ was investigated as a model of how varying leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf ) could help plants resist and recover …

Testing the benefits of early vessel evolution

From rainforests to deserts, across latitudes and elevations, the flowering plants (the angiosperms) dominate almost every terrestrial ecosystem. It is impossible not to be amazed and impressed by their abundance and diversity. While their sudden …