10.5061/DRYAD.024BN
Ronellenfitsch, Henrik
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self Organization
Liesche, Johannes
University of Copenhagen
Jensen, Kaare H.
Harvard University
Holbrook, Noel Michele
Harvard University
Schulz, Alexander
University of Copenhagen
Katifori, Eleni
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self Organization
Data from: Scaling of phloem structure and optimality of photoassimilate
transport in conifer needles
Dryad
dataset
2014
Pinus palustris
Conifers
mathematical modelling
Optimization
Pinus cembra
Picea omerica
photoassimilate transport
Abies nordmanniana
Phloem structure
2014-12-09T16:27:02Z
2014-12-09T16:27:02Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1863
209953 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The phloem vascular system facilitates transport of energy-rich sugar and
signalling molecules in plants, thus permitting long-range communication
within the organism and growth of non-photosynthesizing organs such as
roots and fruits. The flow is driven by osmotic pressure, generated by
differences in sugar concentration between distal parts of the plant. The
phloem is an intricate distribution system, and many questions about its
regulation and structural diversity remain unanswered. Here, we
investigate the phloem structure in the simplest possible geometry: a
linear leaf, found, for example, in the needles of conifer trees. We
measure the phloem structure in four tree species representing a diverse
set of habitats and needle sizes, from 1 (Picea omorika) to 35 cm (Pinus
palustris). We show that the phloem shares common traits across these four
species and find that the size of its conductive elements obeys a power
law. We present a minimal model that accounts for these common traits and
takes into account the transport strategy and natural constraints. This
minimal model predicts a power law phloem distribution consistent with
transport energy minimization, suggesting that energetics are more
important than translocation speed at the leaf level.
Conifer needle phloem geometryThis data contains the measurements for
phloem geometry (number of sieve tubes, sieve tube area as function of
distance from the tip) for 3-6 needles of four conifer species (Abies
nordmanniana, Pinus cembra, Pinus palustris, Picea
omerika)DataSupplement.zip