IBIS-Flora

Angiosperm Flora of India

The impact of vessel size on vulnerability curves: data and models for within-species variability in saplings of aspen, Populus tremuloides Michx

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2010
Authors:CAI, JING, TYREE, MELVINT
Journal:Plant, Cell & Environment
Volume:33
Issue:7
Date Published:2010
ISBN Number:1365-3040
Keywords:air-seeding hypothesis, pit area hypothesis, Populus, Populus tremuloides, vessel diameter, Weibull functions
Abstract:

The objective of this study was to quantify the relationship between vulnerability to cavitation and vessel diameter within a species. We measured vulnerability curves (VCs: percentage loss hydraulic conductivity versus tension) in aspen stems and measured vessel-size distributions. Measurements were done on seed-grown, 4-month-old aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx) grown in a greenhouse. VCs of stem segments were measured using a centrifuge technique and by a staining technique that allowed a VC to be constructed based on vessel diameter size-classes (D). Vessel-based VCs were also fitted to Weibull cumulative distribution functions (CDF), which provided best-fit values of Weibull CDF constants (c and b) and P50 = the tension causing 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity. We show that P50 = 6.166D−0.3134 (R2 = 0.995) and that b and 1/c are both linear functions of D with R2 > 0.95. The results are discussed in terms of models of VCs based on vessel D size-classes and in terms of concepts such as the ‘pit area hypothesis’ and vessel pathway redundancy.

URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02127.x
Short Title:Plant, Cell & Environment
Taxonomic name: 
Fri, 2014-01-24 22:38 -- admin
https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5ade1b012674ce3dd941e2ea5dd15cc1.jpg?d=https%3A//flora.indianbiodiversity.org/sites/all/modules/patches/contrib/gravatar/avatar.png&s=100&r=G
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith