TY - JOUR
T1 - Mechanics without Muscle
T2 - Biomechanical inspiration from the plant world
AU - Martone, Patrick T.
AU - Boiler, Michael
AU - Burgert, Ingo
AU - Dumais, Jacques
AU - Edwards, Joan
AU - MacH, Katharine
AU - Rowe, Nick
AU - Rueggeberg, Markus
AU - Seidel, Robin
AU - Speck, Thomas
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for the Mechanics without Muscle Symposium was generously provided by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology and its Division of Comparative Biomechanics. R.S. and T.S. would like to thank the German Research Foundation for providing funding for the section on biomimetics as part of the Priority Program 1420 ‘‘Biomimetic Materials Research: Functionality by Hierarchical Structuring of Materials’’. N.R. gratefully acknowledges the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) Biodiversity research grant from the French ANR Program for a project entitled ‘‘Woodiversity.’’ P.T.M. would like to acknowledge funding provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
PY - 2010/11
Y1 - 2010/11
N2 - Synopsis Plant and animal biomechanists have much in common. Although their frame of reference differs, they think about the natural world in similar ways. While researchers studying animals might explore airflow around flapping wings, the actuation of muscles in arms and legs, or the material properties of spider silk, researchers studying plants might explore the flow of water around fluttering seaweeds, the grasping ability of climbing vines, or the material properties of wood. Here we summarize recent studies of plant biomechanics highlighting several current research themes in the field: expulsion of high-speed reproductive projectiles, generation of slow movements by shrinking and swelling cell walls, effects of ontogenetic shifts in mechanical properties of stems, flexible reconfiguration and material properties of seaweeds under crashing waves, and the development of botanically-inspired commercial products. Our hope is that this synopsis will resonate with both plant and animal biologists, encourage cross-pollination across disciplines, and promote fruitful interdisciplinary collaborations in the future.
AB - Synopsis Plant and animal biomechanists have much in common. Although their frame of reference differs, they think about the natural world in similar ways. While researchers studying animals might explore airflow around flapping wings, the actuation of muscles in arms and legs, or the material properties of spider silk, researchers studying plants might explore the flow of water around fluttering seaweeds, the grasping ability of climbing vines, or the material properties of wood. Here we summarize recent studies of plant biomechanics highlighting several current research themes in the field: expulsion of high-speed reproductive projectiles, generation of slow movements by shrinking and swelling cell walls, effects of ontogenetic shifts in mechanical properties of stems, flexible reconfiguration and material properties of seaweeds under crashing waves, and the development of botanically-inspired commercial products. Our hope is that this synopsis will resonate with both plant and animal biologists, encourage cross-pollination across disciplines, and promote fruitful interdisciplinary collaborations in the future.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952216231&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/icb/icq122
DO - 10.1093/icb/icq122
M3 - Article
C2 - 21558248
AN - SCOPUS:79952216231
SN - 1540-7063
VL - 50
SP - 888
EP - 907
JO - Integrative and Comparative Biology
JF - Integrative and Comparative Biology
IS - 5
ER -