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Plants need carbon dioxide to flourish,
but during a drought, gases can enter their
plumbing system – and prove deadly.
Now researchers can see this happen.
The bubbles of air shown here as colored lines,
block the flow of water.
The first blockages--in blue--occur in the largest veins.
But, not all leaf designs fare the same, over time.
In simple ferns, a few air pockets
quickly doom the entire frond.
Oak leaves decline more slowly.
Indeed, flowering plants like oaks might have evolved
these more complicated networks
of interconnected veins in part to protect
against fatal air bubbles during dry spells.