How wind drives the correlation between leaf shape and mechanical properties.

ABSTRACT: From a geometrical point of view, a non-sessile leaf is composed of two parts: a large flat plate called the lamina, and a long beam called the petiole which connects the lamina to the branch/stem. While wind is exerting force (e.g. drag) on the lamina, the petiole undergoes twisting and bending motions. To survive in harsh abiotic conditions, leaves may have evolved to form in different shapes, resulting from a coupling between the lamina geometry and the petiole mechanical properties. In this study, we measure the shape of laminae from 120 simple leaf species (no leaflets). Leaves of the same species are found to be geometrically similar regardless of their size. From tensile/torsional tests, we characterize the bending rigidity (EI) and the twisting rigidity (GJ) of 15 petioles of 4 spe

SUBMITTER: Louf JF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6218545 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature