{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T15:26:52Z","timestamp":1789658812199,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787875200000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"US Department of Education","award":["P031M190029"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["P031M190029"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02dywf273","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Xylem vessel length is an under-characterized trait, particularly within leaves. We quantified leaf vessel length distributions and examined nodal structure and morphology in nine woody species using silicone injection, microscopy, and micro-computed tomography imaging. We tested how vessel length coordinates with leaf morphology, life history, and stomatal conductance. Leaf vessels were short (mean=2.46\u2005cm) and terminated with high frequency in the nodal region, with no open vessels extending from the leaf into the secondary xylem of the stem. Within a focal species, Vitis vinifera, vessel diameter was positively correlated with stomatal conductance, indicating that wider vessels were capable of supporting greater transpiration rates. Across species, mean leaf vessel length was positively associated with both vessel diameter and leaf size. Deciduous species possessed wider vessels and larger leaves than evergreen ones, whereas simple and compound leaves did not differ. Vessel length, particularly the distribution of vessel endings, is a critical trait for understanding how plants balance hydraulic efficiency and safety from spread of embolism and pathogens. The leaf\u2013stem junction is a hydraulic transition zone characterized by frequent vessel terminations and vascular reorganization, with implications for whole-tree hydraulic architecture.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/jxb\/erag422","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T12:46:11Z","timestamp":1787921171000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Leaf vessel length and stem\u2013node connectivity in woody angiosperms"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"given":"Tagacy","family":"Valdez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, California State University , Bakersfield, CA 93311 ,","place":["USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lhea Kathlyn Mae","family":"Domondon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, California State University , Bakersfield, CA 93311 ,","place":["USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Danica","family":"Bergin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, California State University , Bakersfield, CA 93311 ,","place":["USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7537-7644","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"R Brandon","family":"Pratt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, California State University , Bakersfield, CA 93311 ,","place":["USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7830-5590","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna L","family":"Jacobsen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, California State University , Bakersfield, CA 93311 ,","place":["USA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"237","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-53202-4_14","volume-title":"Vascular differentiation and plant hormones","author":"Aloni","year":"2021"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.1139\/b98-213","article-title":"Characters and origin of vessels with heterogenous structure in leaf and flower abscission zones","volume":"77","author":"Andr\u00e9","year":"1999","journal-title":"Canadian Journal of Botany"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"215","DOI":"10.5962\/p.185498","article-title":"The comparative morphology of the Winteraceae. IV. Anatomy of the node and vascularization of the leaf","volume":"25","author":"Bailey","year":"1944","journal-title":"Journal of the Arnold Arboretum"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"372","DOI":"10.1163\/22941932-20170205","article-title":"Dense but flexible wood\u2014how leaf nodes impact xylem mechanics in Juglans californica","volume":"39","author":"Bergman","year":"2018","journal-title":"IAWA Journal"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"643","DOI":"10.1007\/s00468-014-0999-9","article-title":"Measuring vessel length in vascular plants: can we divine the truth? History, theory, methods, and contrasting models","volume":"28","author":"Cai","year":"2014","journal-title":"Trees"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"206","DOI":"10.3732\/ajb.1300260","article-title":"Effects of phyllotaxy on biomechanical properties of stems of Cercis occidentalis (Fabaceae)","volume":"101","author":"Caringella","year":"2014","journal-title":"American Journal of Botany"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"483","DOI":"10.1093\/aob\/mcl124","article-title":"Xylem structure and connectivity in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) shoots provides a passive mechanism for the spread of bacteria in grape plants","volume":"98","author":"Chatelet","year":"2006","journal-title":"Annals of Botany"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1469-8137.2000.00763.x","article-title":"Tansley Review No. 119. 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(Quercus douglasii): optical and microCT methods differ from the benchtop-dehydration standard","volume":"40","author":"Pratt","year":"2020","journal-title":"Tree Physiology"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1330","DOI":"10.1111\/pce.70287","article-title":"Leaf length predicts twig xylem vessel diameter across angiosperms","volume":"49","author":"Rivera","year":"2026","journal-title":"Plant, Cell & Environment"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1816","DOI":"10.1111\/pce.13528","article-title":"Wood structure and function change with maturity: age of the vascular cambium is associated with xylem changes in current-year growth","volume":"42","author":"Rodriguez-Zaccaro","year":"2019","journal-title":"Plant, Cell & Environment"},{"key":"2026091608063647500_erag422-B38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1567","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0709333105","article-title":"Leaf palmate 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