1966/01/01 by John M. Teal, John Kanwisher · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Plant responses to water stress
paper · doi:10.1093/jxb/17.2.355
openalex publication_date 1966/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
Spartina plants have continuous gas spaces from the leaves to the tips of the roots. Oxygen values in the roots are as low as 3 per cent and increase toward the stem. Carbon dioxide values are highest in the rhizome and decrease up the stem and toward the root tips. Oxygen and carbon dioxide moved through the plants at equal rates for equal gradients, and these rates agree with measurements made on plants in the marsh. Calculated oxygen and carbon dioxide fluxes for the observed gradients in the observed gas spaces agreed with measured fluxes. We conclude that gases move in and out of Spartina roots by diffusion through uninterrupted gas spaces within the plant.