Effect of pre-existing embolism on embolism resistance in leaves
In the leaves of L. benzoin , in which only 20% of embolism was
observed, mostly in the mid-rib, rehydration ceased the spread of
embolism, and on a second period of dehydration, embolism only formed
once Ψ had declined to the values just prior to rehydration. In contrast
in a leaf rehydrated when 35% of the xylem had embolized, rehydration
was much less effective at reducing the spread of embolism on a second
round of dehydration. These results suggest that the xylem of angiosperm
leaves may be more susceptible to air invasion from embolism in
neighbouring conduits or intercellular air spaces, than stems, although
more work is required to address this possibility (Guan et al. 2021).