Short Secondary Vessel Members in Branching Regions in Branching Regions in Roots of Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Vessel members of the secondary xylem in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. are shorter than normal vessel members at branching points, where side roots develop. The vessel members in the axis are formed after branching occurs, suggesting that the signal for shorter vessel members is transmitted only after the initiation of root branching. This phenomenon represents an additional structural change to other known modifications at branching points in plants.