Affiliation:
1. School of Biological Sciences, Manchester University, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. r.ennos@man.ac.uk
Abstract
Because they grow away from their substratum to compete for light, plants have to withstand hydrodynamic or aerodynamic drag. Both water and land plants reconfigure in response to this drag, and this is presumed to reduce the risk of mechanical failure. However, there is little unequivocal evidence of drag reduction in large trees as a result of reconfiguration. Land plants must also transport water internally to their tissues, and many have developed xylem tracheids and vessels that help speed up this process. Recent evidence that tree height is limited by water supply suggests that water transport efficiency must be a crucial element in tree design. However, the resistance of many parts of the xylem is still unknown. More focused work is urgently required to shed light on the evolution and ecology of plants in relation to the flow of fluids.
Publisher
The Company of Biologists
Subject
Insect Science,Molecular Biology,Animal Science and Zoology,Aquatic Science,Physiology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
24 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献