Susanne 2007

The Biology of Transpiration.
From Guard Cells to Globe

Author(s): Susanne von Caemmerer and Neil Baker
Source: Plant Physiology, Vol. 143, No. 1 (Jan., 2007), p. 3
Published by: American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40065207
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State of the Field
The Biology of Transpiration. From Guard Cells to Globe
Transpirationin higher plants accounts for about present, numerous genetic mutants in Arabidopsis
three-quartersof the water that is vaporized at the (Arabidopsis thaliana)with alterationsin the production,
global land surface and one-eighth of that vaporized sensing, or response to majorplant hormonesprovide
over the entireglobe. The availabilityof water is one of an exciting resourcefor the study of the regulationof
the majorfactorsrestrictingterrestrialplantproduction transpiration.In their Update,Nilson and Assmann
on a global scale. Sinceplants do not have membranes review the role the model species Arabidopsis cur-
that are both permeable to CO2and impermeableto rently plays in elucidation of some of these signal
water, transpirationis an inevitable consequence of transductionpathways.Thedevelopmentof stomatais
photosynthesis.To control water loss, plants are cov- also providing an exciting focus for the study of
ered with relativelywater-impermeablesurfaces that integrationof genetic and environmentalinputs into
arepunctuatedby stomatalpores.Almostall of the CO2 developmentaldecisions.Studiesof stomataldevelop-
fixed by terrestrial plants and most of the water ment also provide insights into past climates.Sincethe
transpired pass through these stomatal pores. The concentrationof carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
degree of opening of these pores is modulated by exertsa significantcontrolover stomataldevelopment,
variationin the turgor status of the two surrounding stomatal frequency in fossil plants is currentlybeing
guardcells. The regulationof stomatalaperturedeter- used as a way of trackingatmosphericCO2concentra-
minesthe compromisebetweenincreasingCO2fixation tions over the last 400 million years.
and reducing transpirationto prevent desiccation.At At present, models used to predict weather and
the same time, plant transpirationprovides evapora- climate use empirical functions to approximate the
tive cooling, forming a major component of the leaf response of stomata to environment.Improving our
energybalance.Transpirationalso providesthe driving understanding of stomatal responses and the devel-
forcefor transportof water and nutrientsfromrootsto opment of more functional mathematicalmodels of
shoots.Consequently,transpirationprocessesaffectthe stomatalbehaviorwill help facilitatethe development
yield and survival of agriculturalspecies, and impact of improved climate models. The regulationof night-
on the global carbonand hydrologicalcycles. These in time stomatal conductanceis one such example that
turn feed back on climate and have a direct effect on impactson estimationof global transpiration,and this
globalwarmingand climatechange. is addressed by Cairdet al. in their Updatearticle.
In the past five years,therehave been rapidadvances Isotopic compositionsof CO^ O^ and water vapor
at several organizationallevels in the understanding have also become an importantglobal signal used in
the biology of transpiration,many of which have been climate models. For example, leaf water is generally
the direct result of significant advances in the mea- enrichedin 18Orelativeto soilwaterdue to a tendencyfor
surementof parametersassociatedwith transpiration. the heavier molecules to accumulatein leaves during
Many of these research areas have developed sepa- transpiration. SinceatmosphericCO2undergoesisotopic
rately, yet frequently advances in one area have exchange with leaf waterand soil water,the 18Ocompo-
potentially major implications for many other areas. sitionof CO2can be used to study spatialand temporal
The driving forcefor this FocusIssue on the Biologyof variation in the net exchange of CO2 in terrestrial
Transpiration was the recentmeetingon the same topic ecosystems. These issues, which highlight a need for
held at SnowbirdMountainResortin Utah.Tocatalyze betterunderstandingof watermovementwithinplants,
the requiredinteractionsamong scientists working in areaddressedin the Updatearticleby Farquharet al.
the diverse areas associated with plant transpiration, We hope that this Focus Issue on the Biology of
all aspects of water transportwere covered at levels Transpirationdraws particularattentionto the impor-
spanningfrom gene expressionto global modeling. tanceof interconnectingresearchacrossscales ranging
The regulation of stomatal aperture is dynamic, from cellular to global levels, and that it will further
reversible,and responsiveto a numberof environmen- stimulate cross-disciplinaryresearch in the fields of
tal and intrinsicsignals, such as light, CO2,air humid- stomatalfunctionand development,water uptakeand
ity, and stress hormones such as abscisic acid. As a transport,and global water exchangeprocesses.
consequence,the guard cell has become an important We would like to thankeveryone who was involved
model cell type in the field of plant cell signaling. At in the publicationof this Focus Issue.
Susanne von Caemmerer

Neil Baker
Guest Editors
Plant Physiology
www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.104.900213
Plant Physiology,January2007, Vol. 143, pp. 3, www.plantphysiol.org© 2007 American Society of Plant Biologists 3
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The Biology of Transpiration.

From Guard Cells to Globe

The Biology of Transpiration. From Guard Cells to Globe

Susanne von Caemmerer

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