TY - JOUR
T1 - The importance of nutritional regulation of plant water flux
AU - Cramer, Michael
AU - Hawkins, H.
AU - Verboom, G.A.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Transpiration is generally considered a wasteful but unavoidable consequence of photosynthesis, occurring because water is lost when stomata open for CO2 uptake. Additionally, transpiration has been ascribed the functions of cooling leaves, driving root to shoot xylem transport and mass flow of nutrients through the soil to the rhizosphere. As a consequence of the link between nutrient mass flow and transpiration, nutrient availability, particularly that of NO3 −, partially regulates plant water flux. Nutrient regulation of transpiration may function through the concerted regulation of: (1) root hydraulic conductance through control of aquaporins by NO3 −, (2) shoot stomatal conductance (g s) through NO production, and (3) pH and phytohormone regulation of g s. These mechanisms result in biphasic responses of water flux to NO3 − availability. The consequent trade-off between water and nutrient flux has important implications for understanding plant distributions, for production of water use-efficient crops and for understanding the consequences of global-change-linked CO2 suppression of transpiration for plant nutrient acquisition.
AB - Transpiration is generally considered a wasteful but unavoidable consequence of photosynthesis, occurring because water is lost when stomata open for CO2 uptake. Additionally, transpiration has been ascribed the functions of cooling leaves, driving root to shoot xylem transport and mass flow of nutrients through the soil to the rhizosphere. As a consequence of the link between nutrient mass flow and transpiration, nutrient availability, particularly that of NO3 −, partially regulates plant water flux. Nutrient regulation of transpiration may function through the concerted regulation of: (1) root hydraulic conductance through control of aquaporins by NO3 −, (2) shoot stomatal conductance (g s) through NO production, and (3) pH and phytohormone regulation of g s. These mechanisms result in biphasic responses of water flux to NO3 − availability. The consequent trade-off between water and nutrient flux has important implications for understanding plant distributions, for production of water use-efficient crops and for understanding the consequences of global-change-linked CO2 suppression of transpiration for plant nutrient acquisition.
U2 - 10.1007/s00442-009-1364-3
DO - 10.1007/s00442-009-1364-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 19449035
VL - 161
SP - 15
EP - 24
JO - Oecologia
JF - Oecologia
SN - 0029-8549
IS - 1
ER -