Testing the ‘rare pit’ hypothesis for xylem cavitation resistance in three species of Acer

Summary•  Eudicot angiosperms with greater vulnerability to xylem cavitation tend to have vessels with greater total area of inter‐vessel pits, which inspired the ‘rare pit’ hypothesis: the more pits per vessel, by chance the leakier will be the vessel's single air‐seeding pit and the lower the air‐seeding threshold for cavitation to spread between vessels. •  Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of the hypothesis, using probability theory to model the axial propagation of air through air‐injected stems. In the presence of rare, leaky pits, air‐seeding pressures through short stems with few vessel ends in series should be low; pressures should increase in longer stems as more end‐walls must be breached. •  Measurements on three Acer species conformed closely to model predictions, confirming the rare presence of leaky pits. The model indicated that pits air‐seeding at or below the mean cavitation pressure (MCP) occurred at similarly low frequencies in all species. Average end‐wall air‐seeding pressures predicted by the model closely matched species’ MCPs. •  Differences in species’ vulnerability were primarily attributed to differences in frequency of the leakiest pits rather than pit number or area per vessel. Adjustments in membrane properties and extent of pitting per vessel apparently combine to influence cavitation resistance across species.