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Mylo MD, Poppinga S. Digital image correlation techniques for motion analysis and biomechanical characterization of plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1335445. [PMID: 38273955 PMCID: PMC10808816 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1335445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Temporally and spatially complex 3D deformation processes appear in plants in a variety of ways and are difficult to quantify in detail by classical cinematographic methods. Furthermore, many biomechanical test methods, e.g. regarding compression or tension, result in quasi-2D deformations of the tested structure, which are very time-consuming to analyze manually regarding strain fields. In materials testing, the contact-free optical 2D- or 3D-digital image correlation method (2D/3D-DIC) is common practice for similar tasks, but is still rather seldom used in the fundamental biological sciences. The present review aims to highlight the possibilities of 2D/3D-DIC for the plant sciences. The equipment, software, and preparative prerequisites are introduced in detail and advantages and disadvantages are discussed. In addition to the analysis of wood and trees, where DIC has been used since the 1990s, this is demonstrated by numerous recent approaches in the contexts of parasite-host attachment, cactus joint biomechanics, fruit peel impact resistance, and slow as well as fast movement phenomena in cones and traps of carnivorous plants. Despite some technical and preparative efforts, DIC is a very powerful tool for full-field 2D/3D displacement and strain analyses of plant structures, which is suitable for numerous in-depth research questions in the fields of plant biomechanics and morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max D. Mylo
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT – Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Microsystems Engineering – IMTEK, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Botanical Garden, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Meder F, Naselli GA, Mazzolai B. Wind dynamics and leaf motion: Approaching the design of high-tech devices for energy harvesting for operation on plant leaves. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:994429. [PMID: 36388505 PMCID: PMC9644130 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.994429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
High-tech sensors, energy harvesters, and robots are increasingly being developed for operation on plant leaves. This introduces an extra load which the leaf must withstand, often under further dynamic forces like wind. Here, we took the example of mechanical energy harvesters that consist of flat artificial "leaves" fixed on the petioles of N. oleander, converting wind energy into electricity. We developed a combined experimental and computational approach to describe the static and dynamic mechanics of the natural and artificial leaves individually and join them together in the typical energy harvesting configuration. The model, in which the leaves are torsional springs with flexible petioles and rigid lamina deforming under the effect of gravity and wind, enables us to design the artificial device in terms of weight, flexibility, and dimensions based on the mechanical properties of the plant leaf. Moreover, it predicts the dynamic motions of the leaf-artificial leaf combination, causing the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion at a given wind speed. The computational results were validated in dynamic experiments measuring the electrical output of the plant-hybrid energy harvester. Our approach enables us to design the artificial structure for damage-safe operation on leaves (avoiding overloading caused by the interaction between leaves and/or by the wind) and suggests how to improve the combined leaf oscillations affecting the energy harvesting performance. We furthermore discuss how the mathematical model could be extended in future works. In summary, this is a first approach to improve the adaptation of artificial devices to plants, advance their performance, and to counteract damage by mathematical modelling in the device design phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Meder
- *Correspondence: Fabian Meder, ; Giovanna Adele Naselli, ; Barbara Mazzolai,
| | | | - Barbara Mazzolai
- *Correspondence: Fabian Meder, ; Giovanna Adele Naselli, ; Barbara Mazzolai,
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Ohtani M, Kotake T, Mortimer JC, Demura T. The Mechanics and Biology of Plant Cell Walls: Resilience and Sustainability for Our Future Society. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 62:1787-1790. [PMID: 34958673 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcab168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Misato Ohtani
- Department of Integrated Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha,Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8563 Japan
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192 Japan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045 Japan
| | - Toshihisa Kotake
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-okubo, Sakura-ku, Saitama, 338-8570 Japan
| | - Jenny C Mortimer
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine & Waite Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Taku Demura
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192 Japan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045 Japan
- Center for Digital Green-innovation, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192 Japan
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Speck O, Speck T. Functional morphology of plants - a key to biomimetic applications. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 231:950-956. [PMID: 33864693 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Learning from living organisms has emerged from a mainly curiosity-driven examination, where helpful functions of biological structures have been copied, into systematic biomimetic approaches that transfer a targeted function and its underlying principles from the biological model to a technical product. Plant biomimetics is based on functional morphology, which combines the knowledge gained from the morphology, anatomy and mechanics of plants and makes a statement about their form-structure-function relationship. Since the functional morphology of plants has become key to biomimetic applications, we present its central role in deciphering the functional principles that can be applied to engineering solutions. We consider that the future of biomimetics will include bioinspired developments that will contribute to better sustainability than that achieved by conventional products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group @ Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg, D-79104, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT - Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, Freiburg, D-79110, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group @ Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg, D-79104, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT - Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, Freiburg, D-79110, Germany
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Timerman D, Barrett SCH. The biomechanics of pollen release: new perspectives on the evolution of wind pollination in angiosperms. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2146-2163. [PMID: 34076950 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary transitions from animal to wind pollination have occurred repeatedly during the history of the angiosperms, but the selective mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we propose that knowledge of pollen release biomechanics is critical for understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes underpinning this shift in pollination mode. Pollen release is the critical first stage of wind pollination (anemophily) and stamen properties are therefore likely to be under strong selection early in the transition. We describe current understanding of pollen release biomechanics to provide insights on the phenotypic and ecological drivers of wind pollination. Pollen release occurs when detachment forces dominate resistive forces retaining pollen within anthers. Detachment forces can be active or passive depending on whether they require energy input from the environment. Passive release is more widespread in anemophilous species and involves processes driven by steady or unsteady aerodynamic forces or turbulence-induced vibrations that shake pollen from anthers. We review empirical and theoretical studies suggesting that stamen vibration is likely to be a key mechanism of pollen release. The vibration response is governed by morphological and biomechanical properties of stamens, which may undergo divergent selection in the presence or absence of pollinators. Resistive forces have rarely been investigated for pollen within anthers, but are probably sensitive to environmental conditions and depend on flower age, varying systematically between animal- and wind-pollinated species. Animal and wind pollination are traditionally viewed as dichotomous alternatives because they are usually associated with strikingly different pollination syndromes. But this perspective has diverted attention from subtler, continuously varying traits which mediate the fluid dynamic process of pollen release. Reinterpreting the flower as a biomechanical entity that responds to fluctuating environmental forces may provide a promising way forward. We conclude by identifying several profitable areas for future research to obtain deeper insight into the evolution of wind pollination.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Timerman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Spencer C H Barrett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, M5S 3B2, Canada
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Abstract
Academic travel has a substantial carbon footprint. The ongoing pandemic has propelled the development and adoption of technologies for online delivery of seminars and remote attendance at scientific conferences. This should not lead to the complete elimination of in-person events, but the scientific community must seize the opportunity to permanently change its modus operandi and reduce the impact of its activities on the environment.
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Demura T. Preface to the special issue "Approaches for strategies of mechanical optimization in plants". PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (TOKYO, JAPAN) 2020; 37:393-395. [PMID: 33850425 PMCID: PMC8034703 DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.20.0001p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Taku Demura
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
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Müller UK, Poppinga S. Form, Structure, and Function: How Plants vs. Animals Solve Physical Problems. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:815-819. [PMID: 33141898 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants and animals have evolved solutions for a wide range of mechanical problems, such as adhesion and dispersal. Several of these solutions have been sources for bio-inspiration, like the Lotus Effect for self-cleaning surfaces or Velcro for adhesion. This symposium brought together plant and animal biomechanics researchers who tackle similar problems in different systems under the unifying theme of structure-function relations with relevance to bio-inspiration. For both communities it holds true that the structural systems, which have evolved in the respective organisms to address the mechanical challenges mentioned above, are often highly complex. This requires interdisciplinary research involving "classical" experimental biology approaches in combination with advanced imaging methods and computational modeling. The transfer of such systems into biomimetic technical materials and structures comes with even more challenges, like scalability issues and applicability. Having brought all these topics under one umbrella, this symposium presented the forefront of biophysical basic and application-oriented international research with the goal of facilitation knowledge transfer across systems and disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike K Müller
- Department of Biology, California State University Fresno, Fresno, California USA
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.,Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF), University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
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Speck T, Speck O. Quo vadis plant biomechanics: Old wine in new bottles or an up-and-coming field of modern plant science? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2019; 106:1399-1403. [PMID: 31618448 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT), Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Olga Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT), Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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