Are Dracaena nebulophytes able to drink atmospheric water?
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43410%2F17%3A43911142" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43410/17:43911142 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.04.005" target="_blank" >http://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.04.005</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.04.005" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.04.005</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Are Dracaena nebulophytes able to drink atmospheric water?
Original language description
In arid and semi-arid environments, fog interception as a water acquisition mechanism has been long recognized as an important factor for plant survival. The "narrow-leaf syndrome" increases water absorption from horizontal precipitation and is typical of nebulophytes characterized by dense rosette type crowns, to which also Dracaena species belong. In this paper, we demonstrate that Dracaena nebulophytes are able to direct water intercepted from fog through the leaf axils into their succulent woody organs to be stored for later use. We conducted leaf axil watering (LAW) experiments in four young Dracaena plants (two Dracaena cinnabari and two Dracaena draco) while simultaneously measuring sap flow in plant stems using the heat field deformation method. It was assumed that inducing water potential within stems closed to zero would initiate simultaneous bidirectional water transport from the stem to the crown and roots, and that this moment would be reflected in corresponding sap flow. Three hypothetical scenarios of induced water transport imbalance were confirmed by analyzing measured temperature gradients around heated probes and calculating sap flow. Sap flow responses to LAW clearly appeared to be dependent on flow direction prior to water treatments, on the strength of forces driving upward and downward water movement and the quantity of water applied. Intrinsic sap flow changes depicted in the results confirm the hypothesis that the Dracaena species are able to direct atmospheric water through the axils of their leaves to stem tissues. This mechanism of bypassing soil water represents an alternative means of water uptake in plants and is especially important in foggy areas of arid and semi-arid climates.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10611 - Plant sciences, botany
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2017
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Environmental and Experimental Botany
ISSN
0098-8472
e-ISSN
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Volume of the periodical
139
Issue of the periodical within the volume
July
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
10
Pages from-to
57-66
UT code for WoS article
000403736600007
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85018523080