A Plumber's-Eye View of Xylem Water Transport in Woody Plants

Autor/inn/en	Martinez-Vilalta, Jordi; Pinol, Josep
Titel	A Plumber's-Eye View of Xylem Water Transport in Woody Plants
Quelle	In: Journal of Biological Education, 38 (2004) 3, S.137-141 (5 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0021-9266
Schlagwörter	Biology; Anatomy; Plants (Botany); Measurement Techniques; Foreign Countries; Scientific Methodology; Structural Equation Models; Biological Sciences; College Students; Educational Experiments + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Biologie; Anatomie; Pflanze; Messtechnik; Ausland; Abwasserbiologie; Collegestudent; Schulversuch
Abstract	We present a practical for university-level students aimed at measuring and comparing xylem hydraulic properties of co-existing plant species. After sampling branches of several woody species in the field, their main hydraulic properties were measured using a simple set-up. Hydraulic conductivity ("K[subscript h]") was calculated as the ratio between water flow through a plant segment and the pressure gradient driving the flow. The percent reduction in conductivity due to xylem embolism (i.e. air-filled conduits) was estimated by comparing "K[subscript h]" before and after flushing the measure segments to remove all native embolism. Raw hydraulic conductivity was standardised by cross-sectional wood area or supported leaf area to obtain more meaningful measures of conducting capacity. The results showed differences among study species, particularly between conifers and angiosperms. These differences are briefly discussed in terms of wood anatomy and the general biology of the species. Overall the practical provides a good opportunity for students to appreciate the main aspects of xylem water transport and the constraints it imposes on plant water relations. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10