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Mechanics of xylem sap drinking

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Abstract

Despite the significant tension of xylem sap, many insects feed on the xylem sap. Because of the relatively little nutrient content of the xylem sap, feeding rates are up to 1000 times their body mass in a 24 hour period, which requires a suction pressure that may exceed the maximum tension that muscles can generally generate. This review focuses on the mechanical aspects of xylem sap feeding, especially in estimating the xylem sap tension and the suction pressure for xylem sap drinking. We discuss the inconsistencies of xylem sap feeding under tension with the maximum tension of the muscles, and present an overview of possible explanations for this discrepancy. It is expected that X-ray visualization techniques and microfluidics using hydrogel can be effectively used to elucidate the mechanics of xylem sap feeding.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul, 121-742, South Korea

    Wonjung Kim

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  1. Wonjung Kim
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Correspondence to Wonjung Kim.

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Kim, W. Mechanics of xylem sap drinking. Biomed. Eng. Lett. 3, 144–148 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13534-013-0104-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13534-013-0104-0

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