34. Vascular Plant Transport

Consider a tree that is 50 m tall and is transpiring roughly 90 liters of water each day. Approximately how many calories will the tree use to transpire this quantity of water?

Salt is used to melt snow and keep roads clear during the winter in many cities. Land adjacent to de-iced roads often ends up with a high concentration of salt in the soil. Explain why plants growing near salted roads may appear wilted in the spring.

Agriculture is by far the biggest user of water in arid western states, including Colorado, Arizona, and California. The populations of these states are growing, and there is an ongoing conflict between cities and farm regions over water. To ensure water supplies for urban growth, cities are purchasing water rights from farmers. This is often the least expensive way for a city to obtain more water, and some farmers can make more money selling water than growing crops. Discuss the possible consequences of this trend. Is this the best way to allocate water for all concerned? Why or why not?

Atmospheric CO2 has been increasing rapidly since the late 1800s, largely due to human activities. Recall that CO2 enters leaves through stomata and can then be used for photosynthesis. However, transpiration occurs as a result of water evaporating through stomata. How have plants responded to elevated CO2 levels?Which of these structural features can help to limit water loss in plants that occupy dry habitats?a. abundant companion cells and sieve-tube elementsb. stomata that are located in pits on the undersides of their leaves, or narrow, needlelike leavesc. extensive networks of xylem and phloemd. stomata that are located on the top surface of leaves, or broadleaves

Atmospheric CO2 has been increasing rapidly since the late 1800s, largely due to human activities. Recall that CO2 enters leaves through stomata and can then be used for photosynthesis. However, transpiration occurs as a result of water evaporating through stomata. How have plants responded to elevated CO2 levels?What impact, if any, do you predict elevated CO2 levels will haveon the number of stomata in leaves, and on the transpiration rate?

Atmospheric CO2 has been increasing rapidly since the late 1800s, largely due to human activities. Recall that CO2 enters leaves through stomata and can then be used for photosynthesis. However, transpiration occurs as a result of water evaporating through stomata. How have plants responded to elevated CO2 levels? The amount of water that evaporates from stomata over a period of time is referred to as stomatal conductance, which is determined largely by the number of stomata in a given area of leaf surface. Researchers obtained specimens from preserved collections and measured stomatal conductance in leaves from oak trees and pine trees that grew at various times under different CO2 levels. The data are shown in the following graph. In general, is the maximum stomatal conductance rate in plants more or less than it was a century ago?

Researchers compared the amino acid sequences of the transport protein in zebrafish, puffer fish, mice, and humans. They found many stretches with identical sequences in all four species. Does this mean that the corresponding mRNA base sequences are also the same in these four species? Explain why or why not.

Atmospheric CO2 has been increasing rapidly since the late 1800s, largely due to human activities. Recall that CO2 enters leaves through stomata and can then be used for photosynthesis. However, transpiration occurs as a result of water evaporating through stomata. How have plants responded to elevated CO2 levels?One prediction of global climate change is that there will be an increase in periods of drought in some regions. Given the data just presented, will plants be more or less likely to survive periods of drought as they are exposed to rising CO2 levels?

Atmospheric CO2 has been increasing rapidly since the late 1800s, largely due to human activities. Recall that CO2 enters leaves through stomata and can then be used for photosynthesis. However, transpiration occurs as a result of water evaporating through stomata. How have plants responded to elevated CO2 levels?In the year 1915, the stomatal conductance of oak was approximately how many times higher than that of pine? How about in the year 2010?

Atmospheric CO2 has been increasing rapidly since the late 1800s, largely due to human activities. Recall that CO2 enters leaves through stomata and can then be used for photosynthesis. However, transpiration occurs as a result of water evaporating through stomata. How have plants responded to elevated CO2 levels?Assuming that the CO2 level continues to increase with time, how likely are plants to be able to continue to adapt by adjusting stomatal conductance?