Journal article
Scaling of xylem vessels and veins within the leaves of oak species
Biology letters (2005), Vol.4(3), pp.302-306
06/23/2008
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0094
PMCID: PMC2610058
PMID: 18407890
Abstract
General models of plant vascular architecture, based on scaling of pipe diameters to remove the length dependence of hydraulic resistance within the xylem, have attracted strong interest. However, these models have neglected to consider the leaf, an important hydraulic component; they assume all leaves to have similar hydraulic properties, including similar pipe diameters in the petiole. We examine the scaling of the leaf xylem in 10 temperate oak species, an important hydraulic component. The mean hydraulic diameter of petiole xylem vessels varied by 30% among the 10 oak species. Conduit diameters narrowed from the petiole to the midrib to the secondary veins, consistent with resistance minimization, but the power function scaling exponent differed from that predicted for stems. Leaf size was an organizing trait within and across species. These findings indicate that leaf vasculature needs to be included in whole-plant scaling models, for these to accurately reflect and predict whole-plant transport and its implications for performance and ecology.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Scaling of xylem vessels and veins within the leaves of oak species
- Creators
- David A Coomes - University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK. dac18@cam.ac.ukSteven HeathcoteElinor R GodfreyJames J ShepherdLawren Sack
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Biology letters (2005), Vol.4(3), pp.302-306
- DOI
- 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0094
- PMID
- 18407890
- PMCID
- PMC2610058
- NLM abbreviation
- Biol Lett
- ISSN
- 1744-9561
- eISSN
- 1744-957X
- Publisher
- England
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/23/2008
- Academic Unit
- Chemistry
- Record Identifier
- 9983985811602771
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