Water relations of coastal and estuarine Rhizophora mangle: xylem pressure potential and dynamics of embolism formation and repair

Physiological traits related to water transport were studied in Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove) growing in coastal and estuarine sites in Hawaii. The magnitude of xylem pressure potential (P-x), the vulnerability of xylem to cavitation, the frequency of embolized vessels in situ, and the capacity of R. mangle to repair embolized vessels were evaluated with conventional and recently developed techniques. The osmotic potential of the interstitial soil water (pi (sw)) surrounding the roots of R. mangle was c. -2.6 +/- 5.52 x 10(-3) and -0.4 +/- 6.13 x 10(-3) MPa in the coastal and estuarine sites, respectively. Midday covered (non-transpiring) leaf water potentials (Psi (L)) determined with a pressure chamber were 0.6-0.8 MPa more positive than those of exposed, freely-transpiring leaves, and osmotic potential of the xylem sap (pi (x)) ranged from -0.1 to -0.3 MPa. Consequently, estimated midday values of P-x (calculated by subtracting pi (x) from covered Psi (L)) were about 1 MPa more positive than Psi (L) determined on freely transpiring leaves. The differences in Psi (L) between covered and transpiring leaves were linearly related to the transpiration rates. The slope of this relationship was steeper for the coastal site, suggesting that the hydraulic resistance was larger in leaves of coastal R. mangle plants. This was confirmed by both hydraulic conductivity measurements on stem segments and high-pressure flowmeter studies made on excised leafy twigs. Based on two independent criteria, loss of hydraulic conductivity and proportions of gas- and liquid-filled vessels in cryo-scanning electron microscope (cryo-SEM) images, the xylem of R. mangle plants growing at the estuarine site was found to be more vulnerable to cavitation than that of plants growing at the coastal site. However, the cryo-SEM analyses suggested that cavitation occurred more readily in intact plants than in excised branches that were air-dried in the laboratory. Cryo-SEM analyses also revealed that, in both sites, the proportion of gas-filled vessels was 20-30% greater at midday than at dawn or during the late afternoon. Refilling of cavitated vessels thus occurred during the late afternoon when considerable tension was present in neighboring vessels. These results and results from pressure-volume relationships suggest that R. mangle adjusts hydraulic properties of the water-transport system, as well as the leaf osmotic potential, in concert with the environmental growing conditions.