A case-study of water transport in co-occurring ring- versus diffuse-porous trees: contrasts in water-status, conducting capacity, cavitation and vessel refilling
Recent work has suggested that the large earlywood vessels of ring-porous trees can be extraordinarily vulnerable to cavitation making it necessary that these trees maintain a consistent and favorable water status. We compared cavitation resistance, vessel refilling, transport capacity and water status in a study of ring-porous Quercus gambelii Nutt. (oak) and diffuse-porous Acer grandidentatum Nutt. (maple). These species co-dominate summer-dry foothills in the western Rocky Mountains of the USA. Native embolism measurements, dye perfusions and balance pressure exudation patterns indicated that the large earlywood vessels of 2-3-year-old oak stems cavitated extensively on a daily basis as predicted from laboratory vulnerability curves, resulting in a more than 80\% reduction in hydraulic conductivity. Maple branches showed virtually no cavitation. Oak vessels refilled on a daily basis, despite negative xylem pressure in the transpiration stream, indicating active pressurization of embolized vessels. Conductivity and whole-tree water use in oak were between about one-half and two-thirds that in maple on a stem-area basis; but were similar or greater on a leaf-area basis. Oak maintained steady and modest negative xylem pressure potentials during the growing season despite little rainfall, indicating isohydric water status and reliance on deep soil water. Maple was markedly anisohydric and developed more negative pressure potentials during drought, suggesting use of shallower soil water. Although ring porosity may have evolved as a mechanism for coping with winter freezing, this study suggests that it also has major consequences for xylem function during the growing season. 10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641
(private-note)The two wood types may reflect different evolutionary responses to a trade-off between conductivity and vulnerability. Com- pared with ring-porous trees, diffuse-porous trees have nar- rower vessels, which are packed more densely per unit wood area and generally stay functional longer. Ring-porous trees have wide vessels, but necessarily sacrifice some vessels to cavitation. In theory, the ring-porous strategy should work if the trees are isohydric and maintain similar water status through the season. Isohydry would be less essential to dif- fuse-porous function (Hacke et al. 2006).
---=note-separator=---
(private-note)Although ring porosity may have evolved as a mechanism for coping with winter freezing, this study suggests that it also has major consequences for xylem function during the growing season.
%0 Journal Article
%1 citeulike:6646004
%A Taneda, Haruhiko
%A Sperry, John S.
%D 2008
%J Tree Physiol
%K anatomy, citeulikeExport droughtbolism, trees, wood
%N 11
%P 1641--1651
%R 10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641
%T A case-study of water transport in co-occurring ring- versus diffuse-porous trees: contrasts in water-status, conducting capacity, cavitation and vessel refilling
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641
%V 28
%X Recent work has suggested that the large earlywood vessels of ring-porous trees can be extraordinarily vulnerable to cavitation making it necessary that these trees maintain a consistent and favorable water status. We compared cavitation resistance, vessel refilling, transport capacity and water status in a study of ring-porous Quercus gambelii Nutt. (oak) and diffuse-porous Acer grandidentatum Nutt. (maple). These species co-dominate summer-dry foothills in the western Rocky Mountains of the USA. Native embolism measurements, dye perfusions and balance pressure exudation patterns indicated that the large earlywood vessels of 2-3-year-old oak stems cavitated extensively on a daily basis as predicted from laboratory vulnerability curves, resulting in a more than 80\% reduction in hydraulic conductivity. Maple branches showed virtually no cavitation. Oak vessels refilled on a daily basis, despite negative xylem pressure in the transpiration stream, indicating active pressurization of embolized vessels. Conductivity and whole-tree water use in oak were between about one-half and two-thirds that in maple on a stem-area basis; but were similar or greater on a leaf-area basis. Oak maintained steady and modest negative xylem pressure potentials during the growing season despite little rainfall, indicating isohydric water status and reliance on deep soil water. Maple was markedly anisohydric and developed more negative pressure potentials during drought, suggesting use of shallower soil water. Although ring porosity may have evolved as a mechanism for coping with winter freezing, this study suggests that it also has major consequences for xylem function during the growing season. 10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641
@article{citeulike:6646004,
abstract = {{Recent work has suggested that the large earlywood vessels of ring-porous trees can be extraordinarily vulnerable to cavitation making it necessary that these trees maintain a consistent and favorable water status. We compared cavitation resistance, vessel refilling, transport capacity and water status in a study of ring-porous Quercus gambelii Nutt. (oak) and diffuse-porous Acer grandidentatum Nutt. (maple). These species co-dominate summer-dry foothills in the western Rocky Mountains of the USA. Native embolism measurements, dye perfusions and balance pressure exudation patterns indicated that the large earlywood vessels of 2-3-year-old oak stems cavitated extensively on a daily basis as predicted from laboratory vulnerability curves, resulting in a more than 80\% reduction in hydraulic conductivity. Maple branches showed virtually no cavitation. Oak vessels refilled on a daily basis, despite negative xylem pressure in the transpiration stream, indicating active pressurization of embolized vessels. Conductivity and whole-tree water use in oak were between about one-half and two-thirds that in maple on a stem-area basis; but were similar or greater on a leaf-area basis. Oak maintained steady and modest negative xylem pressure potentials during the growing season despite little rainfall, indicating isohydric water status and reliance on deep soil water. Maple was markedly anisohydric and developed more negative pressure potentials during drought, suggesting use of shallower soil water. Although ring porosity may have evolved as a mechanism for coping with winter freezing, this study suggests that it also has major consequences for xylem function during the growing season. 10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641}},
added-at = {2019-03-31T01:14:40.000+0100},
author = {Taneda, Haruhiko and Sperry, John S.},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/23871de64a6cbeebe17f837eb97c6b97d/dianella},
citeulike-article-id = {6646004},
citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641},
citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://treephys.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/28/11/1641},
citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18765369},
citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www.hubmed.org/display.cgi?uids=18765369},
comment = {(private-note)The two wood types may reflect different evolutionary responses to a trade-off between conductivity and vulnerability. Com- pared with ring-porous trees, diffuse-porous trees have nar- rower vessels, which are packed more densely per unit wood area and generally stay functional longer. Ring-porous trees have wide vessels, but necessarily sacrifice some vessels to cavitation. In theory, the ring-porous strategy should work if the trees are isohydric and maintain similar water status through the season. Isohydry would be less essential to dif- fuse-porous function (Hacke et al. 2006).
---=note-separator=---
(private-note)Although ring porosity may have evolved as a mechanism for coping with winter freezing, this study suggests that it also has major consequences for xylem function during the growing season.},
day = 2,
doi = {10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641},
interhash = {ab2277677566ab61c0ba383bb69dcabc},
intrahash = {3871de64a6cbeebe17f837eb97c6b97d},
journal = {Tree Physiol},
keywords = {anatomy, citeulikeExport droughtbolism, trees, wood},
month = sep,
number = 11,
pages = {1641--1651},
pmid = {18765369},
posted-at = {2010-02-09 12:30:28},
priority = {2},
timestamp = {2019-03-31T01:16:26.000+0100},
title = {{A case-study of water transport in co-occurring ring- versus diffuse-porous trees: contrasts in water-status, conducting capacity, cavitation and vessel refilling}},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/28.11.1641},
volume = 28,
year = 2008
}