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A tree was severely debarked by an elephant (bark is rich in nutrients). (i) Which function(s) are hampered by debarking? (ii) Which plant tissue is affected by further damage to the trunk? (iii) Which function is hampered if the tissues beneath the bark are damaged? (iv) What assumptions are you making?
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(i) Debarking damages the phloem in the bark, so the transport of food from leaves to roots is hampered.
(ii) Further damage to the trunk would affect the xylem, which lies deeper in the wood.
(iii) If the xylem beneath the bark is damaged, the transport of water and minerals up the tree is hampered, and the tree may dry out.
(iv) We assume the bark holds the phloem and that the elephant removed only the outer layers. If deeper layers were also removed, water transport would fail too and the tree could die.
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