A stomatal safety-efficiency trade-off constrains responses to leaf dehydration.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31363097.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-11006-1 and PMC identifier 6667445.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Stomata, the microvalves on leaf surfaces, exert major influences across scales, from plant growth and productivity to global carbon and water cycling. Stomatal opening enables leaf photosynthesis, and plant growth and water use, whereas plant survival of drought depends on stomatal closure. Here we report that stomatal function is constrained by a safety-efficiency trade-off, such that species with greater stomatal conductance under high water availability (g<sub>max</sub>) show greater sensitivity to closure during leaf dehydration, i.e., a higher leaf water potential at which stomatal conductance is reduced by 50% (Ψ<sub>gs50</sub>). The g<sub>max</sub> - Ψ<sub>gs50</sub> trade-off and its mechanistic basis is supported by experiments on leaves of California woody species, and in analyses of previous studies of the responses of diverse flowering plant species around the world. Linking the two fundamental key roles of stomata-the enabling of gas exchange, and the first defense against drought-this trade-off constrains the rates of water use and the drought sensitivity of leaves, with potential impacts on ecosystems.
Medical subject headings
- Plant Leaves
- Plant Stomata
- Water