The transport network of a leaf

Modern leaves, the energy factories of plants, are the products of a 400-million-year evolutionary race towards improved efficiency and robustness. As such they have evolved two sophisticated transport systems, the xylem and the phloem, which irrigate the surface of the leaf blade, distribute water and nutrients, and collect the products of photosynthesis. In this review, we discuss the development and function of these two networks. Additionally, with a focus on the global topological and architectural features, we present an overview of the evolution of reticulation through the lens of transport network optimization theory and analyze some aspects of the physics of flow. (C) 2018 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.