TY  - JOUR
AU  - Christensen-Dalsgaard, K.K.
AU  - Fournier, M.
AU  - Ennos, A.R.
AU  - Barfod, A.S.
PY  - 2007//
TI  - Changes in vessel anatomy in response to mechanical loading in six species of tropical trees
T2  - New Phytol.
JO  - New Phytologist
SP  - 610
EP  - 622
VL  - 176
IS  - 3
PB  - BLACKWELL PUBLISHING
KW  - hydraulic architecture
KW  - hydraulic-mechanical trade-off
KW  - mechanical adaptation
KW  - rooting morphology
KW  - tropical trees
KW  - vascular anatomy
N2  - It is well known that trees adapt their supportive tissues to changes in loading conditions, yet little is known about how the vascular anatomy is modified in this process. We investigated this by comparing more and less mechanically loaded sections in six species of tropical trees with two different rooting morphologies. We measured the strain, vessel size, frequency and area fraction and from this calculated the specific conductivity, then measured the conductivity, modulus of elasticity and yield stress. The smallest vessels and the lowest vessel frequency were found in the parts of the trees subjected to the greatest stresses or strains. The specific conductivity varied up to two orders of magnitude between mechanically loaded and mechanically unimportant parts of the root system. A trade-off between conductivity and stiffness or strength was revealed, which suggests that anatomical alterations occur in response to mechanical strain. By contrast, between-tree comparisons showed that average anatomical features for the whole tree seemed more closely related to their ecological strategy.
SN  - 0028-646X
N1  - ISI:000250275000013
ID  - Christensen-Dalsgaard_etal2007
ER  -