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Leaf conduits grow wider than thicker and are potentially vulnerable to implosion
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  • Ilaíne Matos,
  • Samantha McDonough,
  • Breanna Carrillo Johnson,
  • Diana Kalantar,
  • James Rohde,
  • Roshni Sahu,
  • Joyce Wang,
  • Adrian Fontao,
  • Jason To,
  • Sonoma Carlos,
  • Lisa Garcia,
  • Mickey Boakye,
  • Holly Forbes,
  • Benjamin Blonder
Ilaíne Matos
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management

Corresponding Author:ilaine.matos@gmail.com

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Samantha McDonough
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Breanna Carrillo Johnson
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Diana Kalantar
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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James Rohde
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Roshni Sahu
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Joyce Wang
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Adrian Fontao
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Jason To
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Sonoma Carlos
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Lisa Garcia
University of New Mexico Department of Biology
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Mickey Boakye
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Holly Forbes
University of California Berkeley
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Benjamin Blonder
University of California Berkeley Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management
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Abstract

Xylem conduits have lignified walls to resist crushing pressures. The thicker the double-wall ( T) relative to its maximum diameter ( D), the greater the collapse/implosion resistance. Having xylem that is more resistant than necessary incurs high costs and reduced flow, while having xylem not resistant enough may lead to catastrophic collapse under drought. Despite the importance of xylem implosion safety in determining plant drought resistance, it is still unclear how leaves scale Tx D to trade-off among implosion safety, flow efficiency, mechanical support, and construction cost. We measured T and D in over 7,000 leaf xylem conduits of 122 ferns and angiosperms species to investigate how the Tx D scaling varies across species, clades, habitats, growth forms, and vein orders. Overall, leaf xylem conduits grow wider than thicker, potentially resulting in high flow efficiency and lower cost, but at the expense of high vulnerability to implosion. Conduits seem particularly vulnerable to implosion in monocots, aquatic species and in species from hydric habitats, as well as in major veins. The absence of strong trade-offs within the leaf functional traits examined suggests that implosion safety at the whole-leaf level cannot be easily predicted by the sum of the individual conduits’ resistance to collapse.
18 Oct 2023Submitted to Plant, Cell & Environment
18 Oct 2023Submission Checks Completed
18 Oct 2023Assigned to Editor
22 Oct 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Nov 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned