Award Date

1-1-1997

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Biological Science

First Committee Member

Paul J. Schulte

Number of Pages

50

Abstract

Chilopsis linearis, a facultative phreatophyte, is a shrub that is common along washes in arid environments like the Mojave Desert. In addition to adaptive drought tolerant and drought avoidance mechanisms, internal anatomical and developmental characteristics such as vessel diameter, number of vessels produced and the season of the year they are produced affect the conducting ability of xylem to transport water to the leaves. Xylem conductance measurements indicated that no more than half of the vessels in C. linearis are conducting in either a dry year (1994) or a wet year (1995). This was likely due to the obstruction of some xylem conduits by emboli (air bubbles) as a result of possible stress. The loss of functioning vessels by embolism is balanced by the production of new vessels throughout the growing season, thus maintaining the conducting ability of the plant stem.

Keywords

Ability; Chilopsis; Conducting; Desert; Linearis; Seasonal; Shrub; Xylem

Controlled Subject

Botany

File Format

pdf

File Size

1566.72 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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