Draft:Theoretical height limit of trees
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The theoretical height limit of trees is generally considered to be about 120 to 138 meters (393.7 to 426.5 ft)[1][2], however this number varies throughout plant species and location. For example, trees growing in places where light competition is fierce, stressors and threats are minor, and resources are in abundance, may grow to be significantly taller than trees in other locations.[3]
As of October 2024, the world's tallest tree is the Hyperion, a coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) located in the Redwood National Park in California. It is approximately 115.5 meters tall (379.1 ft).[4]
Cause
The primary reason trees have a theoretical height limit is their limited ability to siphon water up their trunk, meaning if a tree is too tall, it will die of water deprivation.[5][6]
Tall trees are also more suseptible to xylem embolisms[7] due to increased tension put on the xylem by gravity[8]. Xylem embolisms are blockages caused by air bubbles in a plant's water transportation system, the xylem, resulting in desiccation and death.[9][10]
References
[edit]- ^ Koch, G. W.; Sillett, S. C.; Jennings, G. M.; Davis, S. D. (2004). "The limits to tree height". Nature. 428 (6985): 851–854. Bibcode:2004Natur.428..851K. doi:10.1038/nature02417. PMID 15103376.
- ^ "Water's the limit for tall trees". 13 August 2008.
- ^ Koch, G. W.; Sillett, S. C.; Jennings, G. M.; Davis, S. D. (2004). "The limits to tree height". Nature. 428 (6985): 851–854. Bibcode:2004Natur.428..851K. doi:10.1038/nature02417. PMID 15103376.
- ^ "The 9 Oldest, Tallest, and Biggest Trees in the World".
- ^ "How tall can a tree grow?".
- ^ "Tree hydraulics and water relations: Why trees die as a result of drought".
- ^ "How tall can a tree grow?".
- ^ Fernández-De-Uña, Laura; Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi; Poyatos, Rafael; Mencuccini, Maurizio; McDowell, Nate G. (2023). "The role of height-driven constraints and compensations on tree vulnerability to drought". New Phytologist. 239 (6): 2083–2098. Bibcode:2023NewPh.239.2083F. doi:10.1111/nph.19130. PMID 37485545.
- ^ Sperry, John S.; Tyree, Melvin T. (1988). "Mechanism of Water Stress-Induced Xylem Embolism". Plant Physiology. 88 (3): 581–587. doi:10.1104/pp.88.3.581. PMC 1055628. PMID 16666352.
- ^ "The world's tallest tree is ridiculously large – but far from its theoretical limit". 5 September 2023.