Cavitation

Plants rely on transpiration to continuously move water up the xylem. This helps to facilitate water throughout the plant. The reason that this method is so effective at moving water up the plant is because it is a closed system that generates a great deal of pressure. However, sometimes the pressure becomes too high, causing some of the water in the xylem to vaporize and form a gas bubble. This can cause complications for the plant as it will interupt the flow of water through the xylem. The plant is able to solve this problem by taking solutes from the soil and using them to reduce the pressure in the xylem so the gas bubble will redissolve back into water.