Starch storage capacity of sapwood is related to dehydration avoidance during drought.
Robert Brandon PrattMichael F TobinAnna L JacobsenCourtney A TraughMark E De GuzmanChristine C HayesHayden S ToschiEvan D MacKinnonMarta I PercollaMichael E ClemPaul T SmithPublished in: American journal of botany (2020)
Evolutionary forces have led to an association between starch storage and dehydration resistance as part of an adaptive suite of traits. We found evidence for a tradeoff between tissue mechanical traits and starch storage; moreover, the evolution of novel strategies, such as starch-storing living fibers, may mitigate the strength of this tradeoff.