Giant trees have no trouble pumping water to top branches: new research
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Giant tropical trees fully compensate for height in water transport, defying drought vulnerability theory.
Research led by the University of Exeter and Cardiff University, published in Science, finds that Dipterocarp trees up to 71 meters tall adjust their hydraulic systems to nullify height-related water stress. Wider vessels near the ground and leaf adaptations prevent drought vulnerability. No height-related growth loss was observed during the 2023-2024 El Niño drought. The tallest 1% of trees store over half of above-ground forest carbon.
What commenters are saying
Commenters challenge the article's claim that water transport is not a limiting factor, citing the ~130-meter maximum tree height and the physical limit of negative pressure (about 10 meters for a water column). Some propose transpiration pull via cohesion-tension theory, while others note fog absorption and moss mutualism in sequoias. The felling of the Nooksack Giant is cited as a historical loss. Split between those who accept the finding and those who argue other factors (compressive strength, capillary limits) must cap height.