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Wang X, Pan C, Xia N, Zhang C, Hao B, Jin D, Su L, Zhao J, Majidi C, Zhang L. Fracture-driven power amplification in a hydrogel launcher. NATURE MATERIALS 2024:10.1038/s41563-024-01955-4. [PMID: 39043929 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01955-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Robotic tasks that require robust propulsion abilities such as jumping, ejecting or catapulting require power-amplification strategies where kinetic energy is generated from pre-stored energy. Here we report an engineered accumulated strain energy-fracture power-amplification method that is inspired by the pressurized fluidic squirting mechanism of Ecballium elaterium (squirting cucumber plants). We realize a light-driven hydrogel launcher that harnesses fast liquid vapourization triggered by the photothermal response of an embedded graphene suspension. This vapourization leads to appreciable elastic energy storage within the surrounding hydrogel network, followed by rapid elastic energy release within 0.3 ms. These soft hydrogel robots achieve controlled launching at high velocity with a predictable trajectory. The accumulated strain energy-fracture method was used to create an artificial squirting cucumber that disperses artificial seeds over metres, which can further achieve smart seeding through an integrated radio-frequency identification chip. This power-amplification strategy provides a basis for propulsive motion to advance the capabilities of miniaturized soft robotic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengfeng Pan
- The State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
| | - Neng Xia
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Chong Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Bo Hao
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongdong Jin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Su
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinsheng Zhao
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Carmel Majidi
- Soft Machines Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
- Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Center, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin NT, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
- CUHK T Stone Robotics Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
- Chow Yuk Ho Technology Center for Innovative Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
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Zhang X, Bian A, Yang J, Liang Y, Zhang Z, Yan M, Yuan S, Zhang Q. Morphological Innovation Drives Sperm Release in Bryophytes. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2306767. [PMID: 38552153 PMCID: PMC11132054 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202306767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Plant movements for survival are nontrivial. Antheridia in the moss Physcomitrium patens (P. patens) use motion to eject sperm in the presence of water. However, the biological and mechanical mechanisms that actuate the process are unknown. Here, the burst of the antheridium of P. patens, triggered by water, results from elastic instability and is determined by an asymmetric change in cell geometry. The tension generated in jacket cell walls of antheridium arises from turgor pressure, and is further promoted when the inner walls of apex burst in hydration, causing water and cellular contents of apex quickly influx into sperm chamber. The outer walls of the jacket cells are strengthened by NAC transcription factor VNS4 and serve as key morphomechanical innovations to store hydrostatic energy in a confined space in P. patens. However, the antheridium in liverwort Marchantia polymorpha (M. polymorpha) adopts a different strategy for sperm release; like jacket cell outer walls of P. patens, the cells surrounding the antheridium of M. polymorpha appear to play a similar role in the storage of energy. Collectively, the work shows that plants have evolved different ingenious devices for sperm discharge and that morphological innovations can differ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Zhang
- Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100093China
| | - Ang Bian
- College of Computer ScienceSichuan UniversityChengdu610065China
| | - Junbo Yang
- Shenzhen BranchGuangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern AgricultureGenome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural AffairsAgricultural Genomics Institute at ShenzhenChinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesShenzhenGuangdong518120China
| | - Ye Liang
- Core Facility of the State Key Laboratory of Membrane BiologyPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringThe Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyClear Water BayHong Kong999077China
| | - Meng Yan
- School of Life ScienceHangzhou Institute for Advanced StudyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesHangzhouZhejiang310024China
| | - Siqi Yuan
- College of Life SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and UtilizationNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjing210095China
| | - Qun Zhang
- College of Life SciencesState Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and UtilizationNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjing210095China
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Yi X, Chen W, Guan J, Zhu J, Zhang Q, Yang H, Yang H, Zhong S, Chen C, Tan F, Ren T, Luo P. Genome-Wide Analysis of the Polygalacturonase Gene Family Sheds Light on the Characteristics, Evolutionary History, and Putative Function of Akebia trifoliata. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16973. [PMID: 38069295 PMCID: PMC10707396 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Polygalacturonase (PG) is one of the largest families of hydrolytic enzymes in plants. It is involved in the breakdown of pectin in the plant cell wall and even contributes to peel cracks. Here, we characterize PGs and outline their expression profiles using the available reference genome and transcriptome of Akebia trifoliata. The average length and exon number of the 47 identified AktPGs, unevenly assigned on 14 chromosomes and two unassembled contigs, were 5399 bp and 7, respectively. The phylogenetic tree of 191 PGs, including 47, 57, 51, and 36 from A. trifoliata, Durio zibethinus, Actinidia chinensis, and Vitis vinifera, respectively, showed that AktPGs were distributed in all groups except group G and that 10 AktPGs in group E were older, while the remaining 37 AktPGs were younger. Evolutionarily, all AktPGs generally experienced whole-genome duplication (WGD)/segmental repeats and purifying selection. Additionally, the origin of conserved domain III was possibly associated with a histidine residue (H) substitute in motif 8. The results of both the phylogenetic tree and expression profiling indicated that five AktPGs, especially AktPG25, could be associated with the cracking process. Detailed information and data on the PG family are beneficial for further study of the postharvest biology of A. trifoliata.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Peigao Luo
- Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China; (X.Y.); (W.C.); (J.G.); (J.Z.); (Q.Z.); (H.Y.); (H.Y.); (S.Z.); (C.C.); (F.T.); (T.R.)
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Huang L, Si C, Shi H, He C, Duan J. Research on the stipe cracking of wine-cap mushroom (Stropharia rugosoannulata) in different humidity conditions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21122. [PMID: 38036691 PMCID: PMC10689427 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48608-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Stropharia rugosoannulata is a well-renowned edible mushroom due to its nutritional and nutraceutical properties. This article focuses on the study of stipe cracking in S. rugosoannulata, a common issue in outdoor cultivation of this mushroom in South China. The findings reveal that the stipe cracks of S. rugosoannulata are primarily horizontal (transverse). Typically, cracks appear between the annulus and the middle part of the stipe prior to the opening of the pileus. Following the opening of the pileus, a fresh crack appears on the upper part of the stipe above the annulus. During the growth of S. rugosoannulata, two distinct elongation sections are observed in the stipe, separated by the annulus. The location of cracks coincides with these elongation sections, and the sequence of crack occurrences matches with the sequence of these elongation sections. The frequency of stipe cracking varies according to developmental stages and humidity conditions. The conclusion of this study is that S. rugosoannulata stipes crack during elongation and within elongation sections when humidity is low (≤ 60%), with the S3 developmental stage having the highest risk of cracking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Huang
- Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Gene Improvement, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, Guangdong, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Can Si
- Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Gene Improvement, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, Guangdong, China
| | - Hongyu Shi
- Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Gene Improvement, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, Guangdong, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chunmei He
- Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Gene Improvement, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, Guangdong, China.
| | - Jun Duan
- Key Laboratory of South China Agricultural Plant Molecular Analysis and Gene Improvement, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, Guangdong, China.
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Huang LJ, Fu WL. A water drop-shaped slingshot in plants: geometry and mechanics in the explosive seed dispersal of Orixa japonica (Rutaceae). ANNALS OF BOTANY 2021; 127:765-774. [PMID: 33608717 PMCID: PMC8103806 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcab017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS In angiosperms, many species disperse their seeds autonomously by rapid movement of the pericarp. The fruits of these species often have long rod- or long plate-shaped pericarps, which are suitable for ejecting seeds during fruit dehiscence by bending or coiling. However, here we show that fruit with a completely different shape can also rely on pericarp movement to disperse seeds explosively, as in Orixa japonica. METHODS Fruit morphology was observed by hard tissue sectioning, scanning electron microscopy and micro-computed tomography, and the seed dispersal process was analysed using a high-speed camera. Comparisons were made of the geometric characteristics of pericarps before and after fruit dehiscence, and the mechanical process of pericarp movement was simulated with the aid of the finite element model. KEY RESULTS During fruit dehydration, the water drop-shaped endocarp of O. japonica with sandwich structure produced two-way bending deformation and cracking, and its width increased more than three-fold before opening. Meanwhile the same shaped exocarp with uniform structure could only produce small passive deformation under relatively large external forces. The endocarp forced the exocarp to open by hygroscopic movement before seed launching, and the exocarp provided the acceleration for seed launching through a reaction force. CONCLUSIONS Two layers of water drop-shaped pericarp in O. japonica form a structure similar to a slingshot, which launches the seed at high speed during fruit dehiscence. The results suggest that plants with explosive seed dispersal appear to have a wide variety of fruit morphology, and through a combination of different external shapes and internal structures, they are able to move rapidly using many sophisticated mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan-Jie Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, WuhanChina
| | - Wen-Long Fu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, WuhanChina
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, BeijingChina
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Sampathkumar A. Mechanical feedback-loop regulation of morphogenesis in plants. Development 2020; 147:147/16/dev177964. [PMID: 32817056 DOI: 10.1242/dev.177964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Morphogenesis is a highly controlled biological process that is crucial for organisms to develop cells and organs of a particular shape. Plants have the remarkable ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions, despite being sessile organisms with their cells affixed to each other by their cell wall. It is therefore evident that morphogenesis in plants requires the existence of robust sensing machineries at different scales. In this Review, I provide an overview on how mechanical forces are generated, sensed and transduced in plant cells. I then focus on how such forces regulate growth and form of plant cells and tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Sampathkumar
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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Neumann U, Hay A. Seed coat development in explosively dispersed seeds of Cardamine hirsuta. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 126:39-59. [PMID: 31796954 PMCID: PMC7304473 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Seeds are dispersed by explosive coiling of the fruit valves in Cardamine hirsuta. This rapid coiling launches the small seeds on ballistic trajectories to spread over a 2 m radius around the parent plant. The seed surface interacts with both the coiling fruit valve during launch and subsequently with the air during flight. We aim to identify features of the seed surface that may contribute to these interactions by characterizing seed coat differentiation. METHODS Differentiation of the outermost seed coat layers from the outer integuments of the ovule involves dramatic cellular changes that we characterize in detail at the light and electron microscopical level including immunofluorescence and immunogold labelling. KEY RESULTS We found that the two outer integument (oi) layers of the seed coat contributed differently to the topography of the seed surface in the explosively dispersed seeds of C. hirsuta vs. the related species Arabidopsis thaliana where seed dispersal is non-explosive. The surface of A. thaliana seeds is shaped by the columella and the anticlinal cell walls of the epidermal oi2 layer. In contrast, the surface of C. hirsuta seeds is shaped by a network of prominent ridges formed by the anticlinal walls of asymmetrically thickened cells of the sub-epidermal oi1 layer, especially at the seed margin. Both the oi2 and oi1 cell layers in C. hirsuta seeds are characterized by specialized, pectin-rich cell walls that are deposited asymmetrically in the cell. CONCLUSIONS The two outermost seed coat layers in C. hirsuta have distinct properties: the sub-epidermal oi1 layer determines the topography of the seed surface, while the epidermal oi2 layer accumulates mucilage. These properties are influenced by polar deposition of distinct pectin polysaccharides in the cell wall. Although the ridged seed surface formed by oi1 cell walls is associated with ballistic dispersal in C. hirsuta, it is not restricted to explosively dispersed seeds in the Brassicaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulla Neumann
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany
| | - Angela Hay
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany
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Houghton S, Stevens MT, Meyer SE. Pods as sails but not as boats: dispersal ecology of a habitat-restricted desert milkvetch. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2020; 107:864-875. [PMID: 32462674 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Adaptive seed dispersal mechanisms are fundamental to plant fitness, but dispersal advantage is scale-dependent. We tested the hypothesis that informed dispersal in response to an environmental cue enables dispersal by wind on a local scale for Astragalus holmgreniorum, a desert species restricted to swales and wash skirts with overland flow, but prevents longer-distance dispersal by water into unfavorable wash habitats. METHODS Pod biomechanics in A. holmgreniorum lead to major shape modifications with changes in moisture content. We performed laboratory experiments to examine the interaction of pod shape with wind and water, and conducted field experiments in A. holmgreniorum habitat evaluating the roles of wind, water, and seed predators on dispersal. RESULTS Dry pods exhibit a flattened crescent shape with partial dehiscence that facilitated wind dispersal by ground tumbling and seed scattering in laboratory experiments. Rain simulation experiments showed that even small precipitation events returned wetted pods to their cylindrical shape and opened the dorsal suture, exposing the seeds. In the field experiments, dry pods were moved locally by wind, whereas rain caused pod opening and washing out of seeds in place. Seed predators had minimal effect on pod movement. CONCLUSIONS Astragalus holmgreniorum exhibits pod structural remodeling in response to environmental change in a striking and novel demonstration of informed dispersal. Wind-driven movement of dry pods facilitates local seed dispersal, but rain causes pods to open and release seeds, ensuring that they are not transported out of suitable habitats and into active washes where they would be lost from the seed bank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney Houghton
- Department of Biology, Utah Valley University, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem, Utah, 84058, USA
| | - Michael T Stevens
- Department of Biology, Utah Valley University, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem, Utah, 84058, USA
| | - Susan E Meyer
- USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Shrub Sciences Laboratory, 735 North 500 East, Provo, UT, 84606, USA
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Berg O, Singh K, Hall MR, Schwaner MJ, Müller UK. Thermodynamics of the Bladderwort Feeding Strike-Suction Power from Elastic Energy Storage. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 59:1597-1608. [PMID: 31406979 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The carnivorous plant bladderwort exemplifies the use of accumulated elastic energy to power motion: respiration-driven pumps slowly load the walls of its suction traps with elastic energy (∼1 h). During a feeding strike, this energy is released suddenly to accelerate water (∼1 ms). However, due to the traps' small size and concomitant low Reynolds number, a significant fraction of the stored energy may be dissipated as viscous friction. Such losses and the mechanical reversibility of Stokes flow are thought to degrade the feeding success of other suction feeders in this size range, such as larval fish. In contrast, triggered bladderwort traps are generally successful. By mapping the energy budget of a bladderwort feeding strike, we illustrate how this smallest of suction feeders can perform like an adult fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otto Berg
- Department of Chemistry, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA
| | - Krizma Singh
- Department of Biology, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA
| | - Maxwell R Hall
- Department of Biology, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA
| | | | - Ulrike K Müller
- Department of Biology, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA
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