Xylem Cavitation and Embolism in Plants Living in Water-Limited Ecosystems

Water deficit is considered the main limiting factor for the establishment, survival, and growth of plants mainly in water-limited ecosystems. Plants have evolved a wide range of morphologic and functional mechanisms to adapt to arid environments. However, if the tension in the xylem conduits becomes too high, thus xylem cavitation can occur i.e., water column breakage. This results in the hydraulic disconnection of leaves and above-ground parts from roots because xylem conduits are filled with air and water vapor, and this phenomenon is called embolism. Therefore, the resistance of the xylem to cavitation and embolism is of paramount importance for plant functioning. In this chapter, we will review the role of plant hydraulics and xylem cavitation in the context of water-limited ecosystems and their relationship with other plant functional traits and with survival capacity. These topics will be analyzed and discussed on the basis of current knowledge and our research experiences. A. Vilagrosa (&) E. Chirino Fundación de la Comunidad Valenciana Centro de Estudios Ambientales del Mediterráneo (CEAM), Unidad Mixta de Investigación Universidad de Alicante-Fundación CEAM, PO Box 99 E-03080, Alicante, Spain e-mail: [email protected] J.J. Peguero-Pina Grup de Recerca en Biologia de les Plantes en Condicions Mediterrànies, Departament de Biologia, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Carretera de Valldemossa, km 7.5 07071, Palma de Mallorca, Balears, Spain T.S.Barigah H. Cochard INRA, UMR 547 PIAF, F-63100, Clermont-Ferrand, France T.S.Barigah H. Cochard Clermont Université, Université Blaise Pascal, UMR 547 PIAF, BP 10448 F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France E. Gil-Pelegrín Unidad de Recursos Forestales, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Avenida de Montañana 930, E-50059, Zaragoza, Spain R. Aroca (ed.), Plant Responses to Drought Stress, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-32653-0_3, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012 63