The Physicochemical Hydrodynamics of Vascular Plants

Abraham D. Stroock; Vinay V. Pagay; Maciej A. Zwieniecki; N. Michele Holbrook

doi:10.1146/annurev-fluid-010313-141411

journal article Jan 03, 2014

The Physicochemical Hydrodynamics of Vascular Plants

Abraham D. Stroock Vinay V. Pagay Maciej A. Zwieniecki N. Michele Holbrook

Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics Vol. 46 No. 1 pp. 615-642 · Annual Reviews

View at Publisher Save 10.1146/annurev-fluid-010313-141411

Abstract

Plants live dangerously, but gracefully. To remain hydrated, they exploit liquid water in the thermodynamically metastable state of negative pressure, similar to a rope under tension. This tension allows them to pull water out of the soil and up to their leaves. When this liquid rope breaks, owing to cavitation, they catch the ends to keep it from unraveling and then bind it back together. In parallel, they operate a second vascular system for the circulation of metabolites though their tissues, this time with positive pressures and flow that passes from leaf to root. In this article, we review the current state of understanding of water management in plants with an emphasis on the rich coupling of transport phenomena, thermodynamics, and active biological processes. We discuss efforts to replicate plant function in synthetic systems and point to opportunities for physical scientists and engineers to benefit from and contribute to the study of plants.

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Details

Published: Jan 03, 2014
Vol/Issue: 46(1)
Pages: 615-642

Authors

A

Abraham D. Stroock

1School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853; email: ads10@cornell.edu

V

Vinay V. Pagay

2Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853; email: vvp4@cornell.edu

M

Maciej A. Zwieniecki

3Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616; email: mzwienie@ucdavis.edu

N

N. Michele Holbrook

4Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138; email: holbrook@fas.harvard.edu

Cite This Article

Abraham D. Stroock, Vinay V. Pagay, Maciej A. Zwieniecki, et al. (2014). The Physicochemical Hydrodynamics of Vascular Plants. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, 46(1), 615-642. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-fluid-010313-141411

The Physicochemical Hydrodynamics of Vascular Plants

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