The first edition of this book was the first to provide an integrated description of sap ascension from an anatomical and functional point of view. The second edition opens with the three-dimensional aspects of wood anatomy. The cohesion-tension theory and new evidence are introduced in response to recent controversies over the mechanism of sap ascent in plants. The physiology, anatomy and biophysics of xylem dysfunction are discussed and new insights into hydraulic architecture are reviewed with special emphasis on physiological limits on maximum transpiration and how hydraulic architecture limits gas exchange, carbon gain and growth of plants. The text concludes with a description of xylem failure and pathology. The book highlights fascinating areas of current research with the aim to stimulate more work in the future.

The first edition of this book was the first to provide an integrated description of sap ascension from an anatomical and functional point of view. The second edition opens with the three-dimensional aspects of wood anatomy. The cohesion-tension theory and new evidence are introduced in response to recent controversies over the mechanism of sap ascent in plants. The physiology, anatomy and biophysics of xylem dysfunction are discussed and new insights into hydraulic architecture are reviewed with special emphasis on physiological limits on maximum transpiration and how hydraulic architecture limits gas exchange, carbon gain and growth of plants. The text concludes with a description of xylem failure and pathology. The book highlights fascinating areas of current research with the aim to stimulate more work in the future.

Trees have the distinction of being the largest and oldest living organisms on earth. Although the herbaceous habit has made unprecedented evolutionary gains since the middle and late Cenozoic, trees still are the most conspicuous plants covering the habitable land surface of the earth. Man has long sought their shelter and protection, utilized their food and fiber, and often exploited them to his own detriment. Trees have always been of much interest to botanists, and many of the early investigations concerning the structure and function of plants were conducted with trees. At the beginning of the present century the use of trees for basic investigations began to decline. The reasons for this are obvious. Investigations of structure and function began to shift from whole organisms to tissues, then to individual cells, and finally to cellular organelles and subcellular particles. Physiological research became increasingly more detailed and complex, requiring more and more precisely controlled laboratory conditions. Hence, a relatively small number of herbaceous plants, various unicellular algae, fungi, and bacteria have become standard research material in most laboratories.