Plant Physiology Preview
Published on June 7, 2007; 10.1104/pp.107.101352
OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE
Received April 21, 2007
Accepted May 23, 2007
Leaf maximum Photosynthetic Rate and Venation are Linked by Hydraulics
Tim J. Brodribb *, Taylor S. Feild , and Gregory J. Jordan
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tasmania; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 37996, USA
* Corresponding author; email: timothyb{at}utas.edu.au.
Leaf veins are almost ubiquitous across the range or terrestrial plant diversity, yet their influence on leaf photosynthetic performance remains uncertain. We show here that specific physical attributes of the vascular plumbing network are key limiters of the hydraulic and photosynthetic proficiency of any leaf. Following the logic that leaf veins evolved to bypass inefficient water transport through living mesophyll tissue, we examined the hydraulic pathway beyond the distal ends of the vein system as a possible limiter of water transport in leaves. We tested a mechanistic hypothesis that the length of this final traverse, as water moves from veins across the mesophyll to where it evaporates from the leaf, governs the hydraulic efficiency and photosynthetic carbon assimilation of any leaf. Sampling from 43 species across the breadth of plant diversity from mosses to flowering plants, we found that the "post-vein traverse" as determined by characters such as vein density, leaf thickness and cell shape, was strongly correlated with the hydraulic conductivity and maximum photosynthetic rate of foliage. The shape of this correlation provided clear support for the a priori hypothesis that vein positioning limits photosynthesis via its influence on leaf hydraulic efficiency.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
Y. Tanaka and T. Shiraiwa
Stem growth habit affects leaf morphology and gas exchange traits in soybean
Ann. Bot.,
December 1, 2009;
104(7):
1293 - 1299.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Fichot, F. Laurans, R. Monclus, A. Moreau, G. Pilate, and F. Brignolas
Xylem anatomy correlates with gas exchange, water-use efficiency and growth performance under contrasting water regimes: evidence from Populus deltoides x Populus nigra hybrids
Tree Physiol,
December 1, 2009;
29(12):
1537 - 1549.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D.M. Johnson, D.R. Woodruff, K.A. McCulloh, and F.C. Meinzer
Leaf hydraulic conductance, measured in situ, declines and recovers daily: leaf hydraulics, water potential and stomatal conductance in four temperate and three tropical tree species
Tree Physiol,
July 1, 2009;
29(7):
879 - 887.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. S. Feild, D. S. Chatelet, and T. J. Brodribb
Giant Flowers of Southern Magnolia Are Hydrated by the Xylem
Plant Physiology,
July 1, 2009;
150(3):
1587 - 1597.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D.A. Coomes and L. Sack
Response to comment on Coomes et al. 'Scaling of xylem vessels and veins within the leaves of oak species'
Biol Lett,
June 23, 2009;
5(3):
381 - 382.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. K. Boyce, T. J. Brodribb, T. S. Feild, and M. A. Zwieniecki
Angiosperm leaf vein evolution was physiologically and environmentally transformative
Proc R Soc B,
May 22, 2009;
276(1663):
1771 - 1776.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Gortan, A. Nardini, A. Gasco, and S. Salleo
The hydraulic conductance of Fraxinus ornus leaves is constrained by soil water availability and coordinated with gas exchange rates
Tree Physiol,
April 1, 2009;
29(4):
529 - 539.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Saha, N. M. Holbrook, L. Montti, G. Goldstein, and G. K. Cardinot
Water Relations of Chusquea ramosissima and Merostachys claussenii in Iguazu National Park, Argentina
Plant Physiology,
April 1, 2009;
149(4):
1992 - 1999.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D.R. Woodruff, F.C. Meinzer, B. Lachenbruch, and D.M. Johnson
Coordination of leaf structure and gas exchange along a height gradient in a tall conifer
Tree Physiol,
February 1, 2009;
29(2):
261 - 272.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
X. Noblin, L. Mahadevan, I. A. Coomaraswamy, D. A. Weitz, N. M. Holbrook, and M. A. Zwieniecki
Optimal vein density in artificial and real leaves
PNAS,
July 8, 2008;
105(27):
9140 - 9144.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. A Coomes, S. Heathcote, E. R Godfrey, J. J Shepherd, and L. Sack
Scaling of xylem vessels and veins within the leaves of oak species
Biol Lett,
June 23, 2008;
4(3):
302 - 306.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Sack, E. M. Dietrich, C. M. Streeter, D. Sanchez-Gomez, and N. M. Holbrook
Leaf palmate venation and vascular redundancy confer tolerance of hydraulic disruption
PNAS,
February 5, 2008;
105(5):
1567 - 1572.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
