A Fast Method to Detect the Occurrence of Nonhomogeneous Distribution of Stomatal Aperture in Heterobaric Plant Leaves. Experiments with Arbutus unedo L. during the Diurnal Course

Pressure infiltration of water into a leaf via the stomatal pores can be used to quickly determine whether all stomata are open, or as recently described for several mesophytic and xerophytic species, whether there is a non-homogeneous distribution of stomatal opening (stomatal patchiness) on the le...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oecologia 1990-01, Vol.82 (1), p.52-55
Main Authors: Beyschlag, W., H. Pfanz
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Leaf area
Leaf conductance
Leaves
Photosynthesis
Phytotrons
Plants
Plants and fungi
Stomata
Surface areas
Water pressure
Water vapor
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Summary:Pressure infiltration of water into a leaf via the stomatal pores can be used to quickly determine whether all stomata are open, or as recently described for several mesophytic and xerophytic species, whether there is a non-homogeneous distribution of stomatal opening (stomatal patchiness) on the leaf surface. Information about this phenomenon is important since the commonly used algorithms for calculation of leaf conductance from water vapor exchange measurements imply homogeneously open stomata, which in the occurrence of stomatal patchiness will lead to erroneous results. Infiltration experiments in a growth chamber with leaves of the Mediterranean evergreen shrub Arbutus unedo, carried out under simulated Mediterranean summer day conditions, where the species typically exhibits a strong midday stomatal closure, revealed a temporary occurrence of stomatal patchiness during the phase of stomatal closure in the late morning and during the stomatal reopening in the afternoon. Leaves were, however, found to be fully (i.e. homogeneously) infiltratable in the morning and in the evening. At midday during maximum stomatal closure, leaves were almost non-infiltratable. During the day, the infiltrated amount of water was found to be linearly correlated with porometer measurements of leaf conductance of the same leaves, carried out with the attached leaves immediately before infiltration.
ISSN:0029-8549
1432-1939
DOI:10.1007/BF00318533