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Ontogenetically stable hydraulic design in woody plants

  1. J. S. WEITZ,
  2. K. OGLE,
  3. H. S. HORN

Article first published online: 19 APR 2006

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01083.x

Issue

Functional Ecology

Functional Ecology

Volume 20, Issue 2, pages 191–199, April 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

WEITZ, J. S., OGLE, K. and HORN, H. S. (2006), Ontogenetically stable hydraulic design in woody plants. Functional Ecology, 20: 191–199. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2006.01083.x

Author Information

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA

*†Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jsweitz@princeton.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 19 APR 2006
  2. Article first published online: 19 APR 2006
  3. Received 6 September 2005; revised 27 October 2005; accepted 30 October 2005 Editor: S. Wilson

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Keywords:

  • fluid dynamics;
  • hydraulic architecture;
  • Murray's law;
  • ontogeny;
  • wood xylem

Summary

  • 1
    An important component of plant water transport is the design of the vascular network, including the size and shape of water-conducting elements or xylem conduits.
  • 2
    For over 100 years, foresters and plant physiologists have recognized that these conduits are consistently smaller near branch tips compared with major branches and the main stem. Empirical data, however, have rarely been assembled to assess the whole-plant hydraulic architecture of woody plants as they age and grow.
  • 3
    In this paper, we analyse vessels of Fraxinus americana (White Ash) within a single tree. Vessels are measured from cross-sections that span 12 m in height and 18 years’ growth.
  • 4
    We show that vessel radii are determined by distance from the top of the tree, as well as by stem size, independently of tree height or age.
  • 5
    The qualitative form for the scaling of vessel radii agrees remarkably well with simple power laws, suggesting the existence of an ontogenetically stable hydraulic design that scales in the same manner as a tree grows in height and diameter.
  • 6
    We discuss the implications of the present findings for optimal theories of hydraulic design.
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