Journal
JOURNAL OF THE MECHANICS AND PHYSICS OF SOLIDS
Volume 178, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmps.2023.105346
Keywords
Root growth; Morphogenesis; Adaptive design domain; Transport of water and nutrients; Growth history
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This study investigates the formation, optimization, and evolution mechanisms of plant roots through biomechanical morphogenesis. The results reveal that the morphological evolutions of root systems are driven by maximizing the transport efficiency of water and nutrients, and are regulated by geotropism, hydrotropism, and growth inertia.
The morphogenesis of plant organs and tissues has fascinated scientists for centuries. However, it remains a challenge to quantitatively decipher the biomechanical mechanisms underlying the morphological evolutions of growing plants. In this study, we investigate the formation, optimization, and evolution mechanisms of plant roots through biomechanical morphogenesis. A transdisciplinary computational framework is established based on the adaptive design domain topology optimization method. Two typical kinds of root systems are studied for illustration, including the taproot and the fibrous systems. The effects of coupled biomechanical and environmental factors on the growth and form of the root systems are revealed. It is found that the morphological evolutions of both systems tend to maximize the transport efficiency of water and nutrients. Lateral roots are constantly generated, forming a hierarchically branched layout. The thickness and concentration of roots depend on the growth history, while the growth directions of root caps are regulated by geotropism, hydrotropism, and growth inertia. These results are consistent with experimental observations. This work not only helps understand the topological formation of root systems, but also provides a quantitative tool for exploring the structure-property-function interrelations of living systems.
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