While the xylem hydraulic properties, such as vulnerability to cavitation (VC), are of paramount importance in drought resistance, their genetic determinants remain unexplored. There is evidence that pectins and their methylation pattern are involved, but the detail of their involvement and the corresponding genes need to be clarified. We analyzed the hydraulic properties of the 35S::PME1 transgenic aspen that ectopically under- or over-express a xylem-abundant pectin methyl esterase, PtxtPME1. We also produced and analyzed 4CL1::PGII transgenic poplars expressing a fungal polygalacturonase, AnPGII, under the control of the Ptxa4CL1 promoter that is active in the developing xylem after xylem cell expansion. Both the 35S::PME1 under- and over-expressing aspen lines developed xylem with lower-specific hydraulic conductivity and lower VC, while the 4CL1::PGII plants developed xylem with a higher VC. These xylem hydraulic changes were associated with modifications in xylem structure or in intervessel pit structure that can result in changes in mechanical behavior of the pit membrane. This study shows that homogalacturonans and their methylation pattern influence xylem hydraulic properties, through its effect on xylem cell expansion and on intervessel pit properties and it show a role for PtxtPME1 in the xylem hydraulic properties.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ppl.12702 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Xylem Hydraulics of Two Temperate Tree Species with Contrasting Growth Rates.
Plants (Basel)
December 2024
CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
Hydraulic functionality is crucial for tree productivity and stress tolerance. According to the theory of the fast-slow economics spectrum, the adaptive strategies of different tree species diverge along a spectrum defined by coordination and trade-offs of a suite of functional traits. The fast- and slow-growing species are expected to differ in hydraulic efficiency and safety; however, there is still a lack of investigation on the mechanistic association between tree growth rate and tree hydraulic functionality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRevised method for constructing acoustic vulnerability curves in trees.
Tree Physiol
January 2025
Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium.
During drought, the formation of air bubbles known as embolisms in the water-conducting xylem reduces hydraulic conductivity, which can ultimately result in tree death. Accurately quantifying vulnerability to embolism formation is therefore essential for understanding tree hydraulics. Acoustic emission (AE) analysis offers a non-destructive method to monitor this process, yet the interpretation of captured signals remains debated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResolving the contrasting leaf hydraulic adaptation of C and C grasses.
New Phytol
January 2025
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Dr. South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
Grasses are exceptionally productive, yet their hydraulic adaptation is paradoxical. Among C grasses, a high photosynthetic rate (A) may depend on higher vein density (D) and hydraulic conductance (K). However, the higher D of C grasses suggests a hydraulic surplus, given their reduced need for high K resulting from lower stomatal conductance (g).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRelationship between wind speed and plant hydraulics at the global scale.
Nat Ecol Evol
January 2025
ARC Centre for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Wind is an important ecological factor for plants as it can increase evapotranspiration and cause dehydration. However, the impact of wind on plant hydraulics at a global scale remains unclear. Here we compiled plant key hydraulic traits, including water potential at 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity (P), xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity (K), leaf area to sapwood area ratio (A/A) and conduit diameter (D) with 2,786 species-at-site combinations across 1,922 woody species at 469 sites worldwide and analysed their correlations with wind speed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFC photosynthesis and hydraulics in grasses.
New Phytol
January 2025
Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
The anatomical reorganization required for C photosynthesis should also impact plant hydraulics. Most C plants possess large bundle sheath cells and high vein density, which should also lead to higher leaf capacitance and hydraulic conductance (K). Paradoxically, the C pathway reduces water demand and increases water use efficiency, creating a potential mismatch between supply capacity and demand in C plant water relations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!