Researchers branch out with findings
Print Edition
LATEST Chinese research has shown that hydraulic traits can serve as important predictors of maximum plant height and species distribution patterns.
Based on 11 datasets of 1,281 plant species from 369 sites worldwide, researchers from South China Botanical Garden built multiple models linking plant height, hydraulic traits and water.
The research, published in the journal Science Advances, finds that taller species from wet habitats show greater xylem efficiency and lower hydraulic safety, wider conduits, lower conduit density, and lower sapwood density.
Xylem is the vascular tissue in plants that moves water and nutrients to various parts of the plant such as shoots and leaves, and also helps form the woody element in the stem of plants. Hydraulic safety refers to the ability of a tree to withstand drought conditions. And sapwood is the living, outermost portion of a woody stem or branch.
The researchers said people used to think taller plants might transport water less efficiently because of the longer distances.
Instead, according to the study, taller plants have a higher hydraulic conductivity across species, a strategy used to compensate for the high evaporation demand of leaves and the increased height.
The study, supported by funding sources including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, revealed different hydraulic patterns between, within and across species. Most of the hydraulic theories on plants were based on data within species.
The study found coordination between plant height and xylem hydraulic traits was aligned with habitat water availability across the Earth鈥檚 terrestrial biomes.
This coordination could be useful in predicting future species distribution under climate change.
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