REVIEW

Measurements of stem xylem hydraulic conductivity in the laboratory and field

  1. Peter J. Melcher1,
  2. N. Michele Holbrook2,
  3. Michael J. Burns3,
  4. Maciej A. Zwieniecki4,
  5. Alexander R. Cobb5,
  6. Timothy J. Brodribb6,
  7. Brendan Choat7,
  8. Lawren Sack8,*

Article first published online: 25 APR 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.2041-210X.2012.00204.x

Issue

Methods in Ecology and Evolution

Methods in Ecology and Evolution

Volume 3, Issue 4, pages 685–694, August 2012

Additional Information

How to Cite

Melcher, P. J., Michele Holbrook, N., Burns, M. J., Zwieniecki, M. A., Cobb, A. R., Brodribb, T. J., Choat, B. and Sack, L. (2012), Measurements of stem xylem hydraulic conductivity in the laboratory and field. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 3: 685–694. doi: 10.1111/j.2041-210X.2012.00204.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Biology, Center for Natural Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

  3. 3

    Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA

  4. 4

    Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130-3500, USA

  5. 5

    Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Buona Vista, Singapore

  6. 6

    School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart TAS 7001, Australia

  7. 7

    University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Richmond NSW 2753, Australia

  8. 8

    Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

* Correspondence author. E-mail: lawrensack@ucla.edu

  1. Correspondence site: http://www.respond2articles.com/MEE/

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 30 JUL 2012
  2. Article first published online: 25 APR 2012
  3. Received 25 September 2011; accepted 6 March 2012 Handling Editor: Robert Freckleton

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Keywords:

  • cavitation;
  • embolism;
  • flow meter;
  • hydraulic conductivity;
  • per cent loss conductivity;
  • tracheid;
  • vessel;
  • xylem

Summary

1. Xylem hydraulic properties play an essential role in supporting growth and photosynthesis and influence sensitivity to environmental conditions such as drought and freezing. Consequently, stem hydraulic conductance can be used as a comparative measure of overall hydraulic adaptation across species and to assess the impact of environmental variation, especially drought, on water transport.

2. We summarize the main methods currently in use for measurements of stem xylem hydraulic properties. Measurements can be accomplished in a number of ways, including using a pipette, an analytic balance or a ‘pressure-drop’ flow meter. We provide new details on the design of a relatively inexpensive and easily field-deployable flow meter that is flexible for a variety of applications. The biological challenges associated with these measurements arise from the difficulties of working with diverse living tissues of variable geometry.

3. We provide a review of best practices and provide technical guidance, emphasizing measurements on detached samples using portable equipment.

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