p. 653 Water Balance of Plants
- Lincoln Taiz, Lincoln TaizUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
- Eduardo Zeiger, Eduardo ZeigerUniversity of California, Los Angeles
- Ian Max MøllerIan Max MøllerAarhus University, Denmark
- , and Angus MurphyAngus MurphyUniversity of Maryland
Abstract
This chapter examines the mechanisms and driving forces operating on water transport within the plant and between the plant and its environment. To meet the contradictory demands of maximizing carbon dioxide uptake while limiting water loss, plants have evolved to control water loss from leaves, and to replace the water lost to the atmosphere with water drawn from the soil. The chapter thus begins by focusing on water in the soil. It then considers how water moves from the soil into the roots and from the roots up through specialized transport cells to the leaves from which water is lost to the atmosphere. Finally, the chapter looks at the ways in which the leaf can control the loss of water, as well as the entry of CO2, by regulating the opening and closing of stomata, the small openings through which the major water loss occurs.
