Theory 31/Efficiency vs Resilience/Plant hydraulics
Efficient Xylem Embolises
The claim
Xylem efficiency trades against embolism safety, so the widest, most conductive vessels are the most vulnerable to cavitation.
01Mechanism
Conductance rises with vessel diameter, but wider vessels have larger pit membranes and lower cavitation thresholds.
02Prediction
Conductivity should anti-correlate with safety margin.
03Refutation
Both rising together would remove the trade-off.