Refilling of a Hydraulically Isolated Embolized Xylem Vessel: Model Calculations

Modelling the recovery of embolism

It is known that embolized xylem vessels can be refilled, while adjacent water conducting vessels remain under tension. Vesala et al. (pp. 419-428) show that refilling is physically possible despite hydraulic isolation of the embolized vessel. The mechanism involves living cells acting as sources and transporters of solutes and water.