I will suggest that many plants partner with mycorrhizal fungi for
water and mineral acquisition. So the fungi access water and deliver
it via the hyphae directly to the plant hosts. Estimates vary, but
about 80% of the world's plant species are mycorrhizal and
consideration of root physiology and soil interactions in the absence
of the mycorrhizal partners is probably misleading.
Tom
At 7:09 AM -0700 9/22/10, Wayne Tyson wrote:
Ecolog:
The following quote has come to my attention:
"To find water, a plant has to position its roots with just as much
precision as it arranges its leaves. If moisture is in very short
supply, then a plant may have to drive a tap root deep into the
ground to reach the water table. Some desert plants have had to
develop root systems that are far deeper than they are tall and
extend laterally a very long way beyond the furthest extent of their
foliage. Even if the environment is well-watered, a plant may still
need to compete with others for this essential commodity, so it
positions a network of roots within a few inches of the soil
surface, where it can gather the rain water before others can."
(Attenborough 1995:48-51)
Attenborough, D. 1995. The Private Life of Plants: A Natural History
of Plant Behavior. London: BBC Books. 320 p.
Can anyone attest to the accuracy of, or refute this statement,
particularly with reference to a plant "finding" water,
"positioning" its roots with "precision," "driving" a tap root to
"reach" the water table, and "positions" a network of roots . . .
"where it can gather the rain water before others can?"
WT
--
It was worth being a bubble just to have held that rainbow thirty seconds.
Carl Sandburg
Thomas R. Horton
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