25 points | by hhs an hour ago
10 comments
>Giant trees have no trouble pumping water to top branches
Hm, may be because they are not really "pumping" the water?
What would you call it?
Not that it really matters, but the article also refers to it as “drawing water to the top”. That seems more representative of reality than “pumping water from the bottom”.
Yeah it's the difference between creating low vs high pressure.
The low pressure is up there already, for free.
Or the high pressure is down here, whichever way you want to look at it.
[delayed]
“Trees contain lots of thin, hollow vessels and they suck water upwards by creating low pressure at the top,”
So sucking / pulling?
So a suction pump?
Same principle as chimneys. But I also noticed this line:
> leaves which have adapted to withstand greater water stress before wilting.
That must be one of the "adjustments to water transport" mentioned. So I suggest that they do, in fact, have trouble pumping water to top branches.
Happy for them.
>Giant trees have no trouble pumping water to top branches
Hm, may be because they are not really "pumping" the water?
What would you call it?
Not that it really matters, but the article also refers to it as “drawing water to the top”. That seems more representative of reality than “pumping water from the bottom”.
Yeah it's the difference between creating low vs high pressure.
The low pressure is up there already, for free.
Or the high pressure is down here, whichever way you want to look at it.
[delayed]
“Trees contain lots of thin, hollow vessels and they suck water upwards by creating low pressure at the top,”
So sucking / pulling?
So a suction pump?
Same principle as chimneys. But I also noticed this line:
> leaves which have adapted to withstand greater water stress before wilting.
That must be one of the "adjustments to water transport" mentioned. So I suggest that they do, in fact, have trouble pumping water to top branches.
Happy for them.