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Guo Q, Dai E, Han X, Xie S, Chao E, Chen Z. Fast nastic motion of plants and bioinspired structures. J R Soc Interface 2015; 12:0598. [PMID: 26354828 PMCID: PMC4614472 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2015.0598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The capability to sense and respond to external mechanical stimuli at various timescales is essential to many physiological aspects in plants, including self-protection, intake of nutrients and reproduction. Remarkably, some plants have evolved the ability to react to mechanical stimuli within a few seconds despite a lack of muscles and nerves. The fast movements of plants in response to mechanical stimuli have long captured the curiosity of scientists and engineers, but the mechanisms behind these rapid thigmonastic movements are still not understood completely. In this article, we provide an overview of such thigmonastic movements in several representative plants, including Dionaea, Utricularia, Aldrovanda, Drosera and Mimosa. In addition, we review a series of studies that present biomimetic structures inspired by fast-moving plants. We hope that this article will shed light on the current status of research on the fast movements of plants and bioinspired structures and also promote interdisciplinary studies on both the fundamental mechanisms of plants' fast movements and biomimetic structures for engineering applications, such as artificial muscles, multi-stable structures and bioinspired robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Guo
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou 350108, China Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials Processing and Application, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - E Dai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - X Han
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - S Xie
- Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - E Chao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Z Chen
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Masi E, Ciszak M, Comparini D, Monetti E, Pandolfi C, Azzarello E, Mugnai S, Baluška F, Mancuso S. The electrical network of maize root apex is gravity dependent. Sci Rep 2015; 5:7730. [PMID: 25588706 PMCID: PMC4295110 DOI: 10.1038/srep07730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigations carried out on maize roots under microgravity and hypergravity revealed that gravity conditions have strong effects on the network of plant electrical activity. Both the duration of action potentials (APs) and their propagation velocities were significantly affected by gravity. Similarly to what was reported for animals, increased gravity forces speed-up APs and enhance synchronized electrical events also in plants. The root apex transition zone emerges as the most active, as well as the most sensitive, root region in this respect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Masi
- LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
| | - Marzena Ciszak
- 1] LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy [2] CNR, National Institute of Optics (INO), L.go E. Fermi 6, 50125 Florence, Italy
| | - Diego Comparini
- 1] LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy [2] LINV@Kitakyushu Research Center, University of Kitakyushu, 808-0135 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Emanuela Monetti
- LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
| | - Camilla Pandolfi
- LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
| | - Elisa Azzarello
- LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
| | - Sergio Mugnai
- LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
| | - Frantisek Baluška
- Department of Plant Cell Biology, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany (IZMB), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefano Mancuso
- LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
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