Sucrose transport inside the phloem: Bridging hydrodynamics and geometric characteristics
Language
en
Article de revue
This item was published in
Physics of Fluids. 2023-06-01, vol. 35, n° 6
American Institute of Physics
English Abstract
In plants, the delivery of the products of photosynthesis is achieved through a hydraulic system labeled as phloem. This semi-permeable plant tissue consists of living cells that contract and expand in response to fluid ...Read more >
In plants, the delivery of the products of photosynthesis is achieved through a hydraulic system labeled as phloem. This semi-permeable plant tissue consists of living cells that contract and expand in response to fluid pressure and flow velocity fluctuations. The Munch pressure flow theory, which is based on osmosis providing the necessary pressure gradient to drive the mass flow of carbohydrates, is currently the most accepted model for such sucrose transport. When this hypothesis is combined with the conservation of fluid mass and momentum as well as sucrose mass, many simplifications must be invoked to mathematically close the problem and to resolve the flow. This study revisits such osmotically driven flows by developing a new two-dimensional numerical model in cylindrical coordinates for an elastic membrane and a concentration-dependent viscosity. It is demonstrated that the interaction between the hydrodynamic and externally supplied geometrical characteristic of the phloem has a significant effect on the front speed of sucrose transport. These results offer a novel perspective about the evolutionary adaptation of plant hydraulic traits to optimize phloem soluble compounds transport efficiency.Read less <
Origin
Hal imported