Sap flow and sugar transport in plants

Abstract

Green plants harvest the energy of the Sun in the leaves by converting light energy into chemical energy in the bonds of sugar molecules, using water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air. This review provides an overview of the vascular anatomy of plants and the physical models that describe the long-distance transport of water and minerals from root to leaf, and, in particular, of sugars from the leaves to the entire body of the plant sustaining growth and communication throughout even the tallest tree.