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Related Experiment Videos

Stomatal closure during leaf dehydration, correlation with other leaf physiological traits.

Tim J Brodribb1, N Michele Holbrook

  • 1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. brodribb@fas.harvard.edu

Plant Physiology
|August 13, 2003
PubMed
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Stomatal closure during leaf drying is linked to leaf hydraulic conductance (K(leaf)), not photosynthesis. This finding clarifies plant water loss regulation and hydraulic function under stress.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Physiology
  • Plant Water Relations
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Stomatal closure regulates plant water loss but the precise trigger during desiccation is debated.
  • Understanding this trigger is crucial for predicting plant responses to drought and climate change.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether leaf hydraulic conductance or photosynthetic function is more closely correlated with stomatal closure during leaf drying.
  • To elucidate the coordination between water transport and gas exchange under water stress.

Main Methods:

  • Leaf hydraulic conductance (K(leaf)) was measured using leaf water potential (Psi(l)) relaxation kinetics.
  • Vulnerability curves were generated to assess the response of K(leaf) to decreasing Psi(l).
  • Stomatal conductance and PSII quantum yield were measured during leaf drying.

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Main Results:

  • Leaf hydraulic conductance (K(leaf)) showed a strong correlation with stomatal closure as leaf water potential (Psi(l)) decreased.
  • The turgor loss point correlated with both K(leaf) and stomatal closure.
  • Photosynthetic decline (PSII quantum yield) occurred at lower Psi(l) than stomatal closure.

Conclusions:

  • Stomatal closure during leaf desiccation is primarily coordinated with the loss of leaf hydraulic conductance (K(leaf)).
  • The close proximity of K(leaf) loss and stomatal closure suggests regular partial embolism formation and repair.
  • Photosynthesis is less sensitive to water loss than hydraulic function and stomatal regulation.