HYDROSTATIC AND FLUID DYNAMIC CONSTRAINTS ON EXTERNAL CAPILLARY WATER CONDUCTION IN THE DIVERSIFICATION OF LAND PLANTS; BRYOPHYTE COLONIES, A MODEL SYSTEM.
Item
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Title
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HYDROSTATIC AND FLUID DYNAMIC CONSTRAINTS ON EXTERNAL CAPILLARY WATER CONDUCTION IN THE DIVERSIFICATION OF LAND PLANTS; BRYOPHYTE COLONIES, A MODEL SYSTEM.
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Identifier
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AAI8708305
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identifier
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8708305
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Creator
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MANKIEWICZ, PAUL SIMON.
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Contributor
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Dominick V. Basile
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Date
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1987
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology, General
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Abstract
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For photoautotrophs, the transition from aquatic to terrestrial habitats required a fundamental reconfiguration of the plant body. The hypothesis is presented that in this transition, the cell wall became a macromolecular matrix with surface forces capable of moving water throughout a continuous apoplast, while at the same time maintaining its function as a tensile structural element. This apoplastic surface is the major structural innovation for water conduction in the land plants. This feature permits two different strategies for water conduction in the terrestrial environment: a low resistance system utilizing the rapid flow of water along paths between plant axes and organs; and a high resistance system utilizing the lowconductance of cell membranes and other mechanisms to decrease and regulate flow rates of water through the system. Apoplast then permits three types of water conduction: (1) within the micellular structure of the cell wall itself; (2) between cell walls but mainly within the lumenae of empty cells (trachaeophyte strategy); and (3) between cell walls between axes and organs in external capillary systems (bryophyte strategy).;This study uses fluid dynamics, hydrostatics, and packing geometries to predict fundamental bounds on the morphology and functional properties of colonies of small plants. This context indicates limits on the scale and organization of the land plant body derived from equations of flow rate, hydrostatics, wettability, Reynolds number, and close and open packing geometries.;Predictions are tested with the following methods: (1) direct visualization of boundary layer velocities using smoke tracers; (2) direct measures of external capillary spaces in bryophyte colonies; (3) measures of maximum water flow through bryophyte colonies; (4) calculation of the upper limit of external capillary water conduction in the earliest fossil land plants based on published dimensions of these organisms together with measures taken from published photographs of these organisms; (5) comparison of published photographs of early land plant fossils with artifically fossilized bryophytes; (6) measurement of the water volume held within the external capillary spaces in a bryophyte colony at known forces; (7) measurement of hydrostatic forces and water movement in filling and emptying bryophyte colonies.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Biology
