Sap flow and sugar transport in plants

K. H. Jensen, K. Berg-Sørensen, H. Bruus, N. M. Holbrook, J. Liesche, A. Schulz, M. A. Zwieniecki, and T. Bohr
Rev. Mod. Phys. 88, 035007 – Published 16 September 2016

Abstract

Green plants are Earth’s primary solar energy collectors. They harvest the energy of the Sun by converting light energy into chemical energy stored in the bonds of sugar molecules. A multitude of carefully orchestrated transport processes are needed to move water and minerals from the soil to sites of photosynthesis and to distribute energy-rich sugars throughout the plant body to support metabolism and growth. The long-distance transport happens in the plants’ vascular system, where water and solutes are moved along the entire length of the plant. In this review, the current understanding of the mechanism and the quantitative description of these flows are discussed, connecting theory and experiments as far as possible. The article begins with an overview of low-Reynolds-number transport processes, followed by an introduction to the anatomy and physiology of vascular transport in the phloem and xylem. Next, sugar transport in the phloem is explored with attention given to experimental results as well as the fluid mechanics of osmotically driven flows. Then water transport in the xylem is discussed with a focus on embolism dynamics, conduit optimization, and couplings between water and sugar transport. Finally, remarks are given on some of the open questions of this research field.

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  • Received 17 March 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.88.035007

© 2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Physics of Living SystemsFluid Dynamics

Authors & Affiliations

K. H. Jensen*

  • Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

K. Berg-Sørensen

  • Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

H. Bruus

  • Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

N. M. Holbrook

  • Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA

J. Liesche

  • College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, 712100 Yangling, China

A. Schulz

  • Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark

M. A. Zwieniecki

  • Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA

T. Bohr

  • Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

  • *khjensen@fysik.dtu.dk

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Issue

Vol. 88, Iss. 3 — July - September 2016

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