Modeling full-scale leaf venation networks.

ABSTRACT: The vascular network of leaves, comprising xylem and phloem, is a highly optimized system for the delivery of water, nutrients, and sugars. The design rules for these naturally occurring networks have been studied since the time of Leonardo da Vinci, who constructed a local rule for comparing the widths of in- and outgoing veins at branch points. Recently, physical models have been developed that seek to explain the full morphogenesis of leaf venial networks in which veins grow in response to local hydrodynamic feedback. Although these models go beyond simple local rules, they are challenging to compare to experimental data. Here, we extend these hydrodynamic models to a state where the direct comparison with images of full leaves becomes possible on the level of individual veins. We prese

SUBMITTER: Skjegstad LEJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12303385 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature