Biomechanical tactics of chiral growth in emergent aquatic macrophytes.

ABSTRACT: Through natural selection, many plant organs have evolved optimal morphologies at different length scales. However, the biomechanical strategies for different plant species to optimize their organ structures remain unclear. Here, we investigate several species of aquatic macrophytes living in the same natural environment but adopting distinctly different twisting chiral morphologies. To reveal the principle of chiral growth in these plants, we performed systematic observations and measurements of morphologies, multiscale structures, and mechanical properties of their slender emergent stalks or leaves. Theoretical modeling of pre-twisted beams in bending and buckling indicates that the different growth tactics of the plants can be strongly correlated with their biomechanical functions. It i

SUBMITTER: Zhao ZL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4518234 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature