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Xylem and Transpiration-driven Transport of Resources

Xylem and Transpiration-driven Transport of Resources

The xylem of vascular plants distributes water and dissolved minerals that are taken up by the roots to the rest of the plant. The cells that transport xylem sap are dead upon maturity, and the movement of xylem sap is a passive process.

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.

Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata

Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata

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Tonicity in Plants

Tonicity in Plants

Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water. It depends on the quantity of solute that does not penetrate the membrane. Tonicity delimits the magnitude and direction of osmosis and results in three possible scenarios that alter the volume of a cell: hypertonicity, hypotonicity, and isotonicity. Due to differences in structure and physiology, tonicity of plant cells is different from that of animal cells in some scenarios.

Tonicity in Plants

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Plant cells maintain appropriate osmotic balance in extreme conditions. For instance, plants in dry environments store water in vacuoles, limit the opening of their stoma, and have thick, waxy cuticles to prevent unnecessary water loss. Some species of plants that live in salty environments store salt in their roots. As a result, water osmosis occurs in the root from the surrounding soil.
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Measurement of Leaf Hydraulic Conductance and Stomatal Conductance and Their Responses to Irradiance and Dehydration Using the Evaporative Flux Method EFM

Measurement of Leaf Hydraulic Conductance and Stomatal Conductance and Their Responses to Irradiance and Dehydration Using the Evaporative Flux Method EFM

Published on: December 31, 2012

Reversible Deformation of Transfusion Tracheids in Taxus baccata Is Associated with a Reversible Decrease in Leaf

Yong-Jiang Zhang¹, Fulton E Rockwell¹, James K Wheeler¹

¹Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.

Plant Physiology

|June 21, 2014

Summary

Conifer leaves protect themselves from water stress through the reversible collapse of transfusion tracheids, not xylem cavitation. This mechanism prevents damage to leaf hydraulics under drought conditions.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Measurement of Leaf Hydraulic Conductance and Stomatal Conductance and Their Responses to Irradiance and Dehydration Using the Evaporative Flux Method EFM

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Using High Resolution Computed Tomography to Visualize the Three Dimensional Structure and Function of Plant Vasculature

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Published on: April 5, 2013

Area of Science:

Plant Physiology
Forest Ecology
Biophysics

Background:

Leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) declines under water stress, traditionally attributed to xylem cavitation.
Conifers possess transfusion tracheids, a potential alternative mechanism for regulating water flow.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of transfusion tracheids in regulating leaf hydraulic conductance in conifers under water stress.
To differentiate between reversible and irreversible declines in Kleaf and identify the underlying structural changes.

Main Methods:

Developed a modified rehydration technique to separate reversible and irreversible Kleaf declines.
Utilized cryo-scanning electron microscopy to detect cavitation.
Employed cryo-fluorescence microscopy to quantify dehydration-induced structural changes in transfusion tracheids.

Main Results:

Reversible declines in Kleaf occurred between -2 and -3 MPa, linked to transfusion tracheid collapse.
Irreversible Kleaf declines were observed only at water potentials more negative than -3 MPa.
Cavitation of xylem or transfusion tracheids did not explain reversible Kleaf declines.

Conclusions:

Reversible collapse of transfusion tracheids acts as a protective mechanism, regulating water flux and preventing xylem damage in conifer leaves.
This mechanism is likely widespread across gymnosperms due to the presence of transfusion tissue.