• Premise of the Study: Tropical liana abundance has been increasing over the past 40 yr, which has been associated with reduced
rainfall. The proposed mechanism allowing lianas to thrive in dry conditions is deeper root systems than co-occurring trees,
although we know very little about the fundamental hydraulic physiology...
• Premise of the study: The pathway of radial water movement in tree stems presents an unknown with respect to whole-tree
hydraulics. Radial profi les have shown substantial axial sap fl ow in deeper layers of sapwood (that may lack direct connection
to transpiring leaves), which suggests the existence of...
Premise of the study: The Pacific Northwest of North America experiences relatively mild winters and dry summers. For the
tall coniferous trees that grow in this region, we predicted that loss in the hydraulic conductivity of uppermost branches would
be avoided because of difficulty reversing accumulated emboli in xylem that...
The air‐seeding hypothesis predicts that xylem embolism resistance is linked directly to bordered pit functioning. We tested this prediction in trunks, roots, and branches at different vertical and radial locations in young and old trees of Pseudotsuga menziesii. Dimensions of bordered pits were measured from light and scanning electron micrographs,...