Rockwell Fulton E, Wheeler James K, Holbrook N Michele
School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.
Plant Physiol. 2014 Apr;164(4):1649-60. doi: 10.1104/pp.113.233817. Epub 2014 Feb 5.
Cavitation has long been recognized as a key constraint on the structure and functional integrity of the xylem. Yet, recent results call into question how well we understand cavitation in plants. Here, we consider embolism formation in angiosperms at two scales. The first focuses on how air-seeding occurs at the level of pit membranes, raising the question of whether capillary failure is an appropriate physical model. The second addresses methodological uncertainties that affect our ability to infer the formation of embolism and its reversal in plant stems. Overall, our goal is to open up fresh perspectives on the structure-function relationships of xylem.
长期以来，空穴化一直被认为是对木质部结构和功能完整性的关键限制因素。然而，最近的研究结果让人质疑我们对植物中空穴化的理解程度。在此，我们从两个尺度来探讨被子植物中栓塞的形成。第一个尺度聚焦于在纹孔膜水平上空气进入是如何发生的，这就引出了毛细作用失效是否是一个合适的物理模型的问题。第二个尺度解决了影响我们推断植物茎中栓塞形成及其逆转能力的方法学上的不确定性。总体而言，我们的目标是为木质部的结构 - 功能关系开辟新的视角。
