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Uddin N, Li X, Ullah MW, Sethupathy S, Ma K, Zahoor, Elboughdiri N, Khan KA, Zhu D. Lignin developmental patterns and Casparian strip as apoplastic barriers: A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 260:129595. [PMID: 38253138 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Lignin and Casparian strips are two essential components of plant cells that play critical roles in plant development regulate nutrients and water across the plants cell. Recent studies have extensively investigated lignin diversity and Casparian strip formation, providing valuable insights into plant physiology. This review presents the established lignin biosynthesis pathway, as well as the developmental patterns of lignin and Casparian strip and transcriptional network associated with Casparian strip formation. It describes the biochemical and genetic mechanisms that regulate lignin biosynthesis and deposition in different plants cell types and tissues. Additionally, the review highlights recent studies that have uncovered novel lignin biosynthesis genes and enzymatic pathways, expanding our understanding of lignin diversity. This review also discusses the developmental patterns of Casparian strip in roots and their role in regulating nutrient and water transport, focusing on recent genetic and molecular studies that have identified regulators of Casparian strip formation. Previous research has shown that lignin biosynthesis genes also play a role in Casparian strip formation, suggesting that these processes are interconnected. In conclusion, this comprehensive overview provides insights into the developmental patterns of lignin diversity and Casparian strip as apoplastic barriers. It also identifies future research directions, including the functional characterization of novel lignin biosynthesis genes and the identification of additional regulators of Casparian strip formation. Overall, this review enhances our understanding of the complex and interconnected processes that drive plant growth, pathogen defense, regulation and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisar Uddin
- Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Xia Li
- Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Muhammad Wajid Ullah
- Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Sivasamy Sethupathy
- Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Keyu Ma
- Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Zahoor
- Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Noureddine Elboughdiri
- Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Ha'il, Ha'il 81441, Saudi Arabia; Chemical Engineering Process Department, National School of Engineers Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes 6029, Tunisia
| | - Khalid Ali Khan
- Applied College, Mahala Campus and the Unit of Bee Research and Honey Production/Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia
| | - Daochen Zhu
- Biofuels Institute, School of Emergency Management, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China.
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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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Wang YZ, Lin YX, Liu Q, Liu J, Barrett SCH. A new type of cell related to organ movement for selfing in plants. Natl Sci Rev 2023; 10:nwad208. [PMID: 37601240 PMCID: PMC10434738 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Many plants employ osmotic and hydrostatic pressure to generate movement for survival, but little is known about the cellular mechanisms involved. Here, we report a new cell type in angiosperms termed 'contractile cells' in the stigmas of the flowering plant Chirita pumila with a much-expanded rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). Cryo-scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed that the RER is continuously distributed throughout the entirety of cells, confirmed by endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-specific fluorescent labeling, and is distinct from the common feature of plant ER. The RER is water-sensitive and extremely elongated with water absorption. We show that the contractile cells drive circadian stigma closing-bending movements in response to day-to-night moisture changes. RNA-seq analyses demonstrated that contractile cells have distinct molecular components. Furthermore, multiple microstructural changes in stigma movements convert an anti-selfing structure into a device promoting selfing-a unique cellular mechanism of reproductive adaptation for uncertain pollination environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin-Zheng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yan-Xiang Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- College of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, China
| | - Qi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing 100093, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Spencer C H Barrett
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada
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Sahin ES, Cheng T, Wood D, Tahouni Y, Poppinga S, Thielen M, Speck T, Menges A. Cross-Sectional 4D-Printing: Upscaling Self-Shaping Structures with Differentiated Material Properties Inspired by the Large-Flowered Butterwort ( Pinguicula grandiflora). Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:233. [PMID: 37366828 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8020233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Extrusion-based 4D-printing, which is an emerging field within additive manufacturing, has enabled the technical transfer of bioinspired self-shaping mechanisms by emulating the functional morphology of motile plant structures (e.g., leaves, petals, capsules). However, restricted by the layer-by-layer extrusion process, much of the resulting works are simplified abstractions of the pinecone scale's bilayer structure. This paper presents a new method of 4D-printing by rotating the printed axis of the bilayers, which enables the design and fabrication of self-shaping monomaterial systems in cross sections. This research introduces a computational workflow for programming, simulating, and 4D-printing differentiated cross sections with multilayered mechanical properties. Taking inspiration from the large-flowered butterwort (Pinguicula grandiflora), which shows the formation of depressions on its trap leaves upon contact with prey, we investigate the depression formation of bioinspired 4D-printed test structures by varying each depth layer. Cross-sectional 4D-printing expands the design space of bioinspired bilayer mechanisms beyond the XY plane, allows more control in tuning their self-shaping properties, and paves the way toward large-scale 4D-printed structures with high-resolution programmability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekin Sila Sahin
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Tiffany Cheng
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Dylan Wood
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Yasaman Tahouni
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Botanical Garden, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Marc Thielen
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT-Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Achim Menges
- Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany
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Roth-Nebelsick A, Krause M. The Plant Leaf: A Biomimetic Resource for Multifunctional and Economic Design. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:biomimetics8020145. [PMID: 37092397 PMCID: PMC10123730 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8020145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
As organs of photosynthesis, leaves are of vital importance for plants and a source of inspiration for biomimetic developments. Leaves are composed of interconnected functional elements that evolved in concert under high selective pressure, directed toward strategies for improving productivity with limited resources. In this paper, selected basic components of the leaf are described together with biomimetic examples derived from them. The epidermis (the "skin" of leaves) protects the leaf from uncontrolled desiccation and carries functional surface structures such as wax crystals and hairs. The epidermis is pierced by micropore apparatuses, stomata, which allow for regulated gas exchange. Photosynthesis takes place in the internal leaf tissue, while the venation system supplies the leaf with water and nutrients and exports the products of photosynthesis. Identifying the selective forces as well as functional limitations of the single components requires understanding the leaf as an integrated system that was shaped by evolution to maximize carbon gain from limited resource availability. These economic aspects of leaf function manifest themselves as trade-off solutions. Biomimetics is expected to benefit from a more holistic perspective on adaptive strategies and functional contexts of leaf structures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthias Krause
- State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
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Horstmann M, Buchheit H, Speck T, Poppinga S. The cracking of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) cones. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:982756. [PMID: 36330256 PMCID: PMC9623100 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.982756] [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: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Pine cones show functionally highly resilient, hygroscopically actuated opening and closing movements, which are repeatable and function even in millions of years old, coalified cones. Although the functional morphology and biomechanics behind the individual seed scale motions are well understood, the initial opening of the cone, which is often accompanied by an audible cracking noise, is not. We therefore investigated the initial opening events of mature fresh cones of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and their subsequent motion patterns. Using high-speed and time lapse videography, 3D digital image correlation techniques, force measurements, thermographic and chemical-rheological resin analyses, we are able to draw a holistic picture of the initial opening process involving the rupture of resin seals and very fast seed scale motion in the millisecond regime. The rapid cone opening was not accompanied by immediate seed release in our experiments and, therefore, cannot be assigned to ballistochory. As the involved passive hydraulic-elastic processes in cracking are very fine-tuned, we hypothesize that they are under tight mechanical-structural control to ensure an ecologically optimized seed release upon environmental conditions suitable for wind dispersal. In this context, we propose an interplay of humidity and temperature to be the external "drivers" for the initial cone opening, in which resin works as a crucial chemical-mechanical latch system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Horstmann
- Botanic Garden, Plant Biomechanics Group, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Hannah Buchheit
- Freiburg Materials Research Center and Institute for Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Botanic Garden, Plant Biomechanics Group, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Department of Biology, Botanical Garden, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Durak GM, Speck T, Poppinga S. Shapeshifting in the Venus flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula): Morphological and biomechanical adaptations and the potential costs of a failed hunting cycle. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:970320. [PMID: 36119615 PMCID: PMC9478607 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.970320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The evolutionary roots of carnivory in the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) stem from a defense response to plant injury caused by, e.g., herbivores. Dionaea muscipula aka. Darwin's most wonderful plant underwent extensive modification of leaves into snap-traps specialized for prey capture. Even the tiny seedlings of the Venus flytrap already produce fully functional, millimeter-sized traps. The trap size increases as the plant matures, enabling capture of larger prey. The movement of snap-traps is very fast (~100-300 ms) and is actuated by a combination of changes in the hydrostatic pressure of the leaf tissue with the release of prestress (embedded energy), triggering a snap-through of the trap lobes. This instability phenomenon is facilitated by the double curvature of the trap lobes. In contrast, trap reopening is a slower process dependent on trap size and morphology, heavily reliant on turgor and/or cell growth. Once a prey item is caught, the trap reconfigures its shape, seals itself off and forms a digestive cavity allowing the plant to release an enzymatic cocktail to draw nutrition from its captive. Interestingly, a failed attempt to capture prey can come at a heavy cost: the trap can break during reopening, thus losing its functionality. In this mini-review, we provide a detailed account of morphological adaptations and biomechanical processes involved in the trap movement during D. muscipula hunting cycle, and discuss possible reasons for and consequences of trap breakage. We also provide a brief introduction to the biological aspects underlying plant motion and their evolutionary background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grażyna M. Durak
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanical Garden, Department of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanical Garden, Department of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT, Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Botanical Garden, Department of Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Lenz AK, Bauer U. Pitcher geometry facilitates extrinsically powered 'springboard trapping' in carnivorous Nepenthes gracilis pitcher plants. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220106. [PMID: 35920027 PMCID: PMC9346345 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Carnivorous pitcher plants capture insects in cup-shaped leaves that function as motionless pitfall traps. Nepenthes gracilis evolved a unique 'springboard' trapping mechanism that exploits the impact energy of falling raindrops to actuate a fast pivoting motion of the canopy-like pitcher lid. We superimposed multiple computed micro-tomography images of the same pitcher to reveal distinct deformation patterns in lid-trapping N. gracilis and closely related pitfall-trapping N. rafflesiana. We found prominent differences between downward and upward lid displacement in N. gracilis only. Downward displacement was characterized by bending in two distinct deformation zones whist upward displacement was accomplished by evenly distributed straightening of the entire upper rear section of the pitcher. This suggests an anisotropic impact response, which may help to maximize initial jerk forces for prey capture, as well as the subsequent damping of the oscillation. Our results point to a key role of pitcher geometry for effective 'springboard' trapping in N. gracilis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Kristin Lenz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Ulrike Bauer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Durak GM, Thierer R, Sachse R, Bischoff M, Speck T, Poppinga S. Smooth or with a Snap! Biomechanics of Trap Reopening in the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2201362. [PMID: 35642470 PMCID: PMC9353449 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202201362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fast snapping in the carnivorous Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) involves trap lobe bending and abrupt curvature inversion (snap-buckling), but how do these traps reopen? Here, the trap reopening mechanics in two different D. muscipula clones, producing normal-sized (N traps, max. ≈3 cm in length) and large traps (L traps, max. ≈4.5 cm in length) are investigated. Time-lapse experiments reveal that both N and L traps can reopen by smooth and continuous outward lobe bending, but only L traps can undergo smooth bending followed by a much faster snap-through of the lobes. Additionally, L traps can reopen asynchronously, with one of the lobes moving before the other. This study challenges the current consensus on trap reopening, which describes it as a slow, smooth process driven by hydraulics and cell growth and/or expansion. Based on the results gained via three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC), morphological and mechanical investigations, the differences in trap reopening are proposed to stem from a combination of size and slenderness of individual traps. This study elucidates trap reopening processes in the (in)famous Dionaea snap traps - unique shape-shifting structures of great interest for plant biomechanics, functional morphology, and applications in biomimetics, i.e., soft robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grażyna M. Durak
- Botanical Garden, Plant Biomechanics GroupUniversity of FreiburgFreiburg im Breisgau79085Germany
| | - Rebecca Thierer
- Institute for Structural MechanicsUniversity of StuttgartStuttgart70550Germany
| | - Renate Sachse
- TUM School of Engineering and DesignDepartment of Engineering Physics and ComputationTechnical University of MunichGarching b. München85748Germany
| | - Manfred Bischoff
- Institute for Structural MechanicsUniversity of StuttgartStuttgart70550Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Botanical Garden, Plant Biomechanics GroupUniversity of FreiburgFreiburg im Breisgau79085Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT – Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired TechnologiesUniversity of FreiburgFreiburg im Breisgau79110Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Botanical Garden, Plant Biomechanics GroupUniversity of FreiburgFreiburg im Breisgau79085Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT – Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired TechnologiesUniversity of FreiburgFreiburg im Breisgau79110Germany
- Department of BiologyTechnical University of DarmstadtBotanical GardenDarmstadt64287Germany
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10
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Carmesin CF, Fleischmann AS, Klepsch MM, Westermeier AS, Speck T, Jansen S, Poppinga S. Structural gradients and anisotropic hydraulic conductivity in the enigmatic eel traps of carnivorous corkscrew plants (Genlisea spp.). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2021; 108:2356-2370. [PMID: 34648183 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.1779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Among the sophisticated trap types in carnivorous plants, the underground eel traps of corkskrew plants (Genlisea spp., Lentibulariaceae) are probably the least understood in terms of their functional principle. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of structural and hydraulic features of G. hispidula traps, contributing to the ongoing debate on whether these traps can actively generate water streams to promote prey capture. METHODS Anatomical and hydraulic traits of detached traps, including inner trap diameters, chamber line element, hair length, glandular pattern, and hydraulic conductivity, were investigated quantitatively using light and electron microscopy, x-ray microtomography, and hydraulic measurements. RESULTS Hydraulic resistivity in the neck of the trap, from the trap mouth toward the vesicle (digestive chamber) was 10 times lower than in the opposite direction. The comparison of measured and theoretical flow rates suggests that the retrorse hairs inside trap necks also provide considerable resistance against movement of matter toward the vesicle. Hairs showed a gradient in length along the neck, with the shortest hairs near the vesicle. Co-occurrence of quadrifid and bifid glands was limited to a small part of the neck, with quadrifids near the vesicle and bifids toward the trap mouth. CONCLUSIONS The combination of structural gradients with hydraulic anisotropy suggests the trap is a highly fine-tuned system based on likely trade-offs between efficient prey movement in the trap interior toward the vesicle, prey retention, and spatial digestion capacities and is not counter to the generation of water streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cora F Carmesin
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081, Germany
| | - Andreas S Fleischmann
- Botanische Staatssammlung München, Menzinger Straße 67, Munich, 80638, Germany
- GeoBio-Center LMU, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias M Klepsch
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081, Germany
| | - Anna S Westermeier
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
| | - Thomas Speck
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, Freiburg, 79110, Germany
| | - Steven Jansen
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081, Germany
| | - Simon Poppinga
- Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS @ FIT, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, Freiburg, 79110, Germany
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