Cavitation of intercellular spaces is critical to the establishment of hydraulic properties of compression wood

When the orientation of the stems of conifers departs from the vertical, conifers form compression wood that results in restoration of verticality. Intercellular spaces are formed between tracheids in compression wood.

Nakaba et al. examine the presence or absence of liquid in these spaces of differentiating xylem by cryo-scanning electron microscopy. They find that intercellular spaces are initially filled with liquid and the disappearance of liquid from some of the intercellular spaces occurs during formation of secondary walls of tracheids. Cavitation of intercellular spaces would decrease hydraulic conductivity as a consequence of the induction of cavitation in neighbouring tracheids.