Internal pressurization and convective gas flow in some emergent freshwater macrophytes

Abstract

Internal pressurization and convective through‐flow are demonstrated to be common attributes of wetland plants with cylindrical culms or linear leaves. Eight of 14 species tested produced static internal gas pressure differentials of 200–1,300 Pa relative to ambient and internal convective airflows of 0.2 to >10 cm 3 min−1 culm−1, depending on species. Four species produced internal static pressure differentials of <100 Pa. Two species did not pressurize. The driving forces are gradients in temperature and water vapor between the internal gas spaces of the plants and the ambient atmosphere (thermal transpiration and humidity‐induced pressurization). A clear diel variation in pressurization and convective flow was observed; rates were highest in the afternoon and lowest at night, responding to ambient changes in light, temperature, and humidity. The resistance to airflow at the stem‐rhizome junction was very high for some species, resulting in a low ability to convert internal pressurization into convective airflow through the rhizomes. Species with a high potential for internal pressurization and a low internal resistance to convective flow seem to have a competitive advantage over species that rely exclusively on diffusive gas transport, which allows them to grow in deeper waters.