Drought events may increase the likelihood that the plant water transport system becomes interrupted by embolism. Yet our knowledge about the temporal frequency of xylem embolism in the field is frequently lacking, as it requires detailed, long‐term measurements. We measured xylem embolism resistance and midday xylem water potentials during the consecutive summers of 2019 and 2020 to estimate maximum levels of embolism in leaf and stem xylem of ten temperate angiosperm tree species. We also studied vessel and pit membrane characteristics based on light and electron microscopy to corroborate potential differences in embolism resistance between leaves and stems. Apart from Our data indicate that low amounts of embolism occur in most species during moderate summer drought, and that considerable levels of embolism are uncommon. Moreover, our experimental and
The ability to transport water through tall stems hydraulically limits stomatal conductance (
- Award ID(s):
- 1754893
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10455773
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Plant, Cell & Environment
- Volume:
- 42
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0140-7791
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 3121-3139
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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