Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

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.

Responses to Salt Stress

Responses to Salt Stress

Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.

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.

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.

Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.

Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata

Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata

During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Author Correction: Droughts preceding tree mortality events have increased in duration and intensity, especially in dry biomes.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Pines compensate for winter insect defoliation with longer and more photosynthetically efficient needles.

Tree physiology·2026

Same author

Despite rapid warming, seed production is not leading poleward migration in North American and European forests.

The New phytologist·2026

Same author

Different Tree Recruitment Patterns at Treelines Are Associated With the Atlantic Multi-Decadal Oscillation Across the Northern Hemisphere.

Global change biology·2026

Same author

Functional ratios diverge across climates but converge within environments in 55 woody canopy plants.

The New phytologist·2026

Same author

Quantitative source-oriented, bioaccumulation and toxicity of organic pollutants in a formerly mining area.

Environmental geochemistry and health·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 26, 2025

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

Scots pine trees react to drought by increasing xylem and phloem conductivities.

Natasa Kiorapostolou¹, J Julio Camarero², Marco Carrer¹

¹Dip. Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali, Università di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro, PD 35020, Italy.

Tree Physiology

|March 19, 2020

Summary

Drought-stressed trees that survive show anatomical xylem and phloem adaptations. These adjustments, while crucial for water and sugar transport, may increase vulnerability to embolism, impacting tree survival.

Keywords:

Pinus sylvestris forest dieback hydraulic failure phenotypic plasticity phloem tree mortality wood anatomy xylem

More Related Videos

Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope

Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope

Published on: June 20, 2019

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

Published on: December 27, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 26, 2025

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

Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope

Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope

Published on: June 20, 2019

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

Published on: December 27, 2017

Area of Science:

Plant physiology
Forest ecology
Drought stress response

Background:

Drought severely impacts tree water and carbon transport, affecting xylem and phloem function.
Hydraulic resistance, concentrated at the treetop, is critical for tree survival under stress.
Anatomical adjustments in xylem and phloem may be key to maintaining function during drought.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate treetop xylem and phloem anatomical traits in Scots pine trees experiencing drought-induced dieback.
To test the hypothesis that maintaining xylem and phloem conductances is vital for survival under reduced resource availability.

Main Methods:

Analysis of xylem and phloem anatomy in the topmost 55 cm of Scots pine main stems.
Measurement of annual ring area, tracheid hydraulic diameter (Dh), cell wall thickness (CWT), conductive phloem area, and sieve cell lumen diameter (Dph).
Comparison of anatomical traits between symptomatic (declining) and non-symptomatic (non-declining) trees.

Main Results:

Declining trees exhibited reduced growth but had larger tracheid hydraulic diameter (Dh) and lower cell wall thickness (CWT).
Declining trees also showed a wider average lumen diameter of phloem sieve cells (Dph).
Axial scaling of anatomical traits was similar between declining and non-declining trees.

Conclusions:

Maintaining xylem and phloem efficiency is crucial for tree survival, even under drought stress.
Anatomical adaptations, such as larger tracheids, may enhance conductivity but increase embolism vulnerability.
Effective anatomical adjustments in xylem and phloem are vital for trees to cope with drought conditions.