Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
Volume 72, Issue 22, Pages 7984-7997Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erab384
Keywords
Black cottonwood; capacitance; HRCT; modulus of elasticity (MOE); modulus of rupture (MOR); moisture release curve; poplar; Populus balsamifera; Populus trichocarpa; strength; stiffness; water potential
Categories
Funding
- CSUB Student Research Scholars program
- National Science Foundation [HRD-1547784 NSF, IOS-1252232]
- Army Research Office of Department of Defense [68885-EV-REP, W911NF-16-1-0556]
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The study found that xylem functions vary at different positions within trees, with shoots having stronger and stiffer xylem while roots store more water. There are trade-offs among xylem functions between roots and shoots.
Xylem is a complex tissue that forms the bulk of tree bodies and has several functions, including to conduct water, store water and nutrients, and biomechanically support the plant body. We examined how xylem functional traits varied at different positions within 9-year-old Populus balsamifera subsp. trichocarpa. Whole trees were excavated, and xylem samples were collected at 1-m increments along the main root-to-shoot axis of six trees, from root tip to shoot tip. We examined biomechanical and water-storage traits of the xylem, including using a non-invasive imaging technique to examine water content within long, intact branches (high-resolution computed tomography; microCT). Xylem density, strength, and stiffness were greater in shoots than roots. Along the main root-to-shoot axis, xylem strength and stiffness were greatest at shoot tips, and the tissue became linearly weaker and less stiff down the plant and through the root. Roots had greater water storage with lower biomechanical support, and shoots had biomechanically stronger and stiffer xylem with lower water storage. These findings support trade-offs among xylem functions between roots and shoots. Understanding how xylem functions differ throughout tree bodies is important in understanding whole-tree functioning and how terrestrial plants endure numerous environmental challenges over decades of growth.
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