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Imperforate tracheary elements and vessels alleviate xylem tension under severe dehydration: insights from water release curves for excised twigs of three tree species.

ABSTRACT: PREMISE:Water stored in the xylem of woody plants is important for supporting the transpiration stream under prolonged drought, yet the source of stored water within the xylem during drought remains unclear. Insights into xylem water utilization during drought will uncover the adaptation strategies of the test species to stress. METHODS:To fill the existing knowledge gap, we excised twigs of Abies firma (Japanese fir, conifer), Cercidiphyllum japonicum (katsura tree, diffuse-porous) and Quercus serrata (konara oak, ring-porous) to quantify interspecific variation of water transfer in xylem corresponding with increasing cumulative water release (CWR) using micro x-ray computed tomography and cryo-SEM. RESULTS:For all species studied, the main components of water storage within the operating range of water potential were not living cells but cavitation release and capillaries. Abies firma maintained water in the earlywood-like cells, for possible maintenance of the transpiration stream. Cercidiphyllum japonicum maintained water in its vessels over 200 kg m-3 of CWR, while Q. serrata lost most of its water in vessels with increasing CWR up to 100 kg m-3 . Cercidiphyllum japonicum exhibited a higher water storage capacity than Q. serrata. Under high CWR, narrow conduits stored xylem water in C. japonicum and imperforate tracheary elements in Q. serrata. CONCLUSIONS:Among the species examined, increasing CWR appears to indicate differential utilization of stored water in relation to variation of xylem structure, thereby providing insight into the interspecific responses of tree species to drought.

SUBMITTER: Yazaki K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7496847 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Imperforate tracheary elements and vessels alleviate xylem tension under severe dehydration: insights from water release curves for excised twigs of three tree species.

Yazaki Kenichi K Levia Delphis F DF Takenouchi Akiko A Watanabe Makoto M Kabeya Daisuke D Miki Naoko H NH Taneda Haruhiko H Ogasa Mayumi Y MY Oguro Michio M Saiki Shin-Taro ST Tobita Hiroyuki H Fukuda Kenji K

American journal of botany 20200811 8

<h4>Premise</h4>Water stored in the xylem of woody plants is important for supporting the transpiration stream under prolonged drought, yet the source of stored water within the xylem during drought remains unclear. Insights into xylem water utilization during drought will uncover the adaptation strategies of the test species to stress.<h4>Methods</h4>To fill the existing knowledge gap, we excised twigs of Abies firma (Japanese fir, conifer), Cercidiphyllum japonicum (katsura tree, diffuse-porou ...[more]

PMID: 32779767

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Project description:Increased abiotic stress along with increasing temperatures, dry periods and forest disturbances may favor biotic stressors such as simultaneous invasion of bark beetle and ophiostomatoid fungi. It is not fully understood how tree desiccation is associated with colonization of sapwood by fungi. A decrease in xylem sap surface tension (σxylem) as a result of infection has been hypothesized to cause xylem embolism by lowering the threshold for air-seeding at the pits between conduits and disruptions in tree water transport. However, this hypothesis has not yet been tested. We investigated tree water relations by measuring the stem xylem hydraulic conductivity (Kstem), σxylem, stem relative water content (RWCstem), and water potential (Ψstem), and canopy conductance (gcanopy), as well as the compound composition in xylem sap in Norway spruce (Picea abies) saplings. We conducted our measurements at the later stage of Endoconidiophora polonica infection when visible symptoms had occurred in xylem. Saplings of two clones (44 trees altogether) were allocated to treatments of inoculated, wounded control and intact control trees in a greenhouse. The saplings were destructively sampled every second week during summer 2016. σxylem, Kstem and RWCstem decreased following the inoculation, which may indicate that decreased σxylem resulted in increased embolism. gcanopy did not differ between treatments indicating that stomata responded to Ψstem rather than to embolism formation. Concentrations of quinic acid, myo-inositol, sucrose and alkylphenol increased in the xylem sap of inoculated trees. Myo-inositol concentrations also correlated negatively with σxylem and Kstem. Our study is a preliminary investigation of the role of σxylem in E. polonica infected trees based on previous hypotheses. The results suggest that E. polonica infection can lead to a simultaneous decrease in xylem sap surface tension and a decline in tree hydraulic conductivity, thus hampering tree water transport.

Dataset Information

Imperforate tracheary elements and vessels alleviate xylem tension under severe dehydration: insights from water release curves for excised twigs of three tree species.

Publications

Imperforate tracheary elements and vessels alleviate xylem tension under severe dehydration: insights from water release curves for excised twigs of three tree species.

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