Leaf surface structures enable the endemic Namib desert grass Stipagrostis sabulicola to irrigate itself with fog water.

The Namib grass Stipagrostis sabulicola relies, to a large degree, upon fog for its water supply and is able to guide collected water towards the plant base. This directed irrigation of the plant base allows an efficient and rapid uptake of the fog water by the shallow roots. In this contribution, the mechanisms for this directed water flow are analysed. Stipagrostis sabulicola has a highly irregular surface. Advancing contact angle is 98° ± 5° and the receding angle is 56° ± 9°, with a mean of both values of approximately 77°. The surface is thus not hydrophobic, shows a substantial contact angle hysteresis and therefore, allows the development of pinned drops of a substantial size. The key factor for the water conduction is the presence of grooves within the leaf surface that run parallel to the long axis of the plant. These grooves provide a guided downslide of drops that have exceeded the maximum size for attachment. It also leads to a minimum of inefficient drop scattering around the plant. The combination of these surface traits together with the tall and upright stature of S. sabulicola contributes to a highly efficient natural fog-collecting system that enables this species to thrive in a hyperarid environment.

Modelling of stomatal density response to atmospheric CO2.

Stomatal density tends to vary inversely with changes in atmospheric CO(2) concentration (C(a)). This phenomenon is of significance due to: (i) the current anthropogenic rise in C(a) and its impact on vegetation, and (ii) the potential applicability for reconstructing palaeoatmospheric C(a) by using fossil plant remains. It is generally assumed that the inverse change of stomatal density with C(a) represents an adaptation of epidermal gas conductance to varying C(a). Reconstruction of fossil C(a) by using stomatal density is usually based on empirical curves which are obtained by greenhouse experiments or the study of herbarium material. In this contribution, a model describing the stomatal density response to changes in C(a) is introduced. It is based on the diffusion of water vapour and CO(2), photosynthesis and an optimisation principle concerning gas exchange and water availability. The model considers both aspects of stomatal conductance: degree of stomatal aperture and stomatal density. It is shown that stomatal aperture and stomatal density response can be separated with stomatal aperture representing a short-term response and stomatal density a long-term response. The model also demonstrates how the stomatal density response to C(a) is modulated by environmental factors. This in turn implies that reliable reconstructions of ancient C(a) require additional information concerning temperature and humidity of the considered sites. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out for the relationship between stomatal density and C(a) in order to identify critical parameters (= small parameter changes lead to significant changes of the results). Stomatal pore geometry (pore size and depth) represents a critical parameter. In palaeoclimatic studies, pore geometry should therefore also be considered.

The significance of pit shape for hydraulic isolation of embolized conduits of vascular plants during novel refilling.

During plant water transport, the water in the conducting tissue (xylem) is under tension. The system is then in a metastable state and prone to bubble development and subsequent embolism blocking further water transport. It has recently been demonstrated, that embolism can be repaired under tension (= novel refilling). A model (Pit Valve Mechanism = PVM) has also been suggested which is based on the development of a special meniscus in the pores (pits) between adjacent conduits. This meniscus is expected to be able to isolate embolized conduits from neighbouring conduits during embolism repair. In this contribution the stability of this isolating meniscus against perturbations is considered which inevitably occur in natural environments. It can be shown that pit shape affects the stability of PVM fundamentally in the case of perturbation. The results show that a concave pit shape significantly supports the stability of PVM. Concave pit shape should thus be of selective value for species practicing novel refilling.

The dynamics of gas bubbles in conduits of vascular plants and implications for embolism repair.

Pressure-induced tensions in the xylem, the water conducting tissue of vascular plants, can lead to embolism in the water-conducting cells. The details and mechanisms of embolism repair in vascular plants are still not well understood. In particular, experimental results which indicate that embolism repair may occur during xylem tension cause great problems with respect to current paradigms of plant water transport. The present paper deals with a theoretical analysis of interfacial effects at the pits (pores in the conduit walls), because it was suggested that gas-water interfaces at the pit pores may be involved in the repair process by hydraulically isolating the embolized conduit. The temporal behaviour of bubbles at the pit pores was especially studied since the question of whether these pit bubbles are able to persist is of crucial importance for the suggested mechanism to work. The results indicate that (1) the physical preconditions which are necessary for the suggested mechanism appear to be satisfied, (2) pit bubbles can achieve temporal stability and therefore persist and (3) dissolving of bubbles in the conduit lumen may lead to the final breakdown of the hydraulic isolation. The whole process is, however, complex and strongly dependent on the detailed anatomy of the pit and the contact angle.

Transpiration and assimilation of early Devonian land plants with axially symmetric telomes-simulations on the tissue level.

Early terrestrial ancestors of the land flora are characterized by a simple, axially symmetric habit and evolved in an atmosphere with much higher CO(2)concentrations than today. In order to gain information about the ecophysiological interrelationships of these plants, a model dealing with their gaseous exchange, which is basic to transpiration and photosynthesis, is introduced. The model is based on gas diffusion inside a porous medium and on a well-established photosynthesis model and allows for the simulation of the local gas fluxes through the various tissue layers of a plant axis. Necessary parameters consist of kinetical properties of the assimilation process and other physiological parameters (which have to be taken from extant plants), as well as physical constants and anatomical parameters which can be obtained from well-preserved fossil specimens. The model system is applied to an Early Devonian land plant, Aglaophyton major. The results demonstrate that, under an Early Devonian CO(2)concentration, A. major shows an extremely low transpiration rate and a low, but probably sufficiently high assimilation rate. Variation of the atmospheric CO(2)concentration shows that the assimilation is fully saturated even if the CO(2)content is decreased to about one-third of the initial value. This result indicates that A. major was probably able to exist under a wide range of atmospheric CO(2)concentrations. Further applications of this model system to ecophysiological studies of early land plant evolution are discussed.