Bursts of CO2 released during freezing offer a new perspective on avoidance of winter embolism in trees.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Woody plants can suffer from winter embolism as gas bubbles are formed in the water-conducting conduits when freezing occurs: gases are not soluble in ice, and the bubbles may expand and fill the conduits with air during thawing. A major assumption usually made in studies of winter embolism formation is that all of the gas dissolved in the xylem sap is trapped within the conduits and forms bubbles during freezing. The current study tested whether this assumption is actually valid, or whether efflux of gases from the stem during freezing reduces the occurrence of embolism.

Methods

CO2 efflux measurements were conducted during freezing experiments for saplings of three Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and three Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees under laborator

SUBMITTER: Lintunen A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4649691 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature