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Updated: Jul 16, 2025
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Xylem Water Distribution in Woody Plants Visualized with a Cryo-scanning Electron Microscope
Published on: June 20, 2019
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Freeze dehydration vs supercooling in tree stems: physical and physiological modelling.
Cyril Bozonnet1, Marc Saudreau1, Eric Badel1
1Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, PIAF, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Tree Physiology
|September 22, 2023
Summary
Plant frost resistance relies on cellular dehydration or deep supercooling to prevent lethal freezing. A new multiphysics model simulates these processes, aiding in understanding plant survival strategies in cold climates.
Area of Science:
- Plant physiology
- Biophysics
- Numerical modeling
Background:
- Frost resistance is critical for plant distribution at high latitudes and elevations.
- Freeze-thaw cycles cause cellular damage and xylem embolism.
- Plants employ dehydration and deep supercooling to prevent lethal intracellular freezing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a multiphysics numerical model for simulating plant freezing responses.
- To investigate the dynamics of cell dehydration, xylem pressure, and stem diameter changes during freezing and thawing.
- To explore the influence of physiological and environmental factors on frost resistance mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Developed a multiphysics numerical model coupling water flow, heat transfer, and phase change.
- Incorporated different plant cell types into the model.
- Validated model results using experimental data on walnut tree stem diameter changes.
Main Results:
- The model accurately simulated stem diameter changes during freezing and thawing.
- Cell mechanical properties were found to have negligible impact under specific conditions.
- Identified conditions where cell dehydration is sufficient for frost protection and where supercooling is essential.
- Demonstrated the coupled effects of water/sugar content and air temperature on dehydration dynamics.
Conclusions:
- The developed model provides insights into plant frost resistance mechanisms.
- Cell dehydration and supercooling are crucial for preventing lethal intracellular freezing.
- The model can be extended to study diverse plant species and anatomical structures.
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