Intervessel pit membrane thickness best explains variation in embolism resistance amongst stems of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions
Annals of Botany, vol. 128, pp. 171–182
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The ability to avoid drought-induced embolisms in the xylem is one of the essential traits for plants to survive periods of water shortage. Over the past three decades, hydraulic studies have been focusing on trees, which limits our ability to understand how herbs tolerate drought. Here we investigate the embolism resistance in inflorescence stems of four Arabidopsis thaliana accessions that differ in growth form and drought response. We assess functional traits underlying the variation in embolism resistance amongst the accessions studied using detailed anatomical observations. METHODS: Vulnerability to xylem embolism was evaluated via vulnerability curves using the centrifuge technique and linked with detailed anatomical observations in stems using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. KEY RESULTS: The data show significant differences in stem P50, varying 2-fold from -1.58 MPa in the Cape Verde Island accession to -3.07 MPa in the woody soc1 ful double mutant. Out of all the anatomical traits measured, intervessel pit membrane thickness (TPM) best explains the differences in P50, as well as P12 and P88. The association between embolism resistance and TPM can be functionally explained by the air-seeding hypothesis. There is no evidence that the correlation between increased woodiness and increased embolism resistance is directly related to functional aspects. However, we found that increased woodiness is strongly linked to other lignification characters, explaining why mechanical stem reinforcement is indirectly related to increased embolism resistance. CONCLUSIONS: The woodier or more lignified accessions are more resistant to embolism than the herbaceous accessions, confirming the link between increased stem lignification and increased embolism resistance, as also observed in other lineages. Intervessel pit membrane thickness and, to a lesser extent, theoretical vessel implosion resistance and vessel wall thickness are the missing functional links between stem lignification and embolism resistance.
Authors 10
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Affiliation as printed
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Research Group Functional Traits, RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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Université de Bordeaux · Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement · UMR BIOdiversity, GEnes & Communities
Affiliation as printed
BIOGECO INRA, Université Bordeaux, Pessac, France
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Affiliation as printed
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Research Group Functional Traits, RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, BE Leiden, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, BE Leiden, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, BE Leiden, the Netherlands
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Wageningen University & Research
Affiliation as printed
Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, BE Leiden, the Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Research Group Functional Traits, RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Research Group Functional Traits, RA Leiden, The Netherlands
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