The Impact of Tissue Morphology, Cross-Section and Turgor Pressure on the Mechanical Properties of the Leaf Petiole in Plants

Abstract

This paper describes a study of petiole structural morphology in which tissue materials, cross-sectional geometry, layer-architecture and hydrostatic condition are variables that affect the overall structural properties of the organ. Philodendron melinonii is selected as a model species for characterizing the mechanical properties of the petiole. The shape of the petiole is modeled through the polar parameterization of the Lame's curves, i.e. Gielis formulation. A multiscale model of bending stiffness is proposed to capture the impact of changing the constituent tissues and the cross-sectional geometry. Stiffness and density of different tissues are used to plot the domain bounded by the limiting curve of the respective tissue material. Shape parameters and the respective tissue properties are used to generate structural efficiency maps displaying property domains within which fall all possible combinations of tissues that are shaped into a certain geometry during growth. The turgor pressure is also taken into account to show how the domain of the effective material properties changes with water content. Finite element analysis besides experimental data is used to validate the theoretical results. The maps may offer a source of inspiration for biomimetic design, as they help to gain insight into the efficiency of biological beams described by different tissues properties, geometry and turgidity.

Testing the packing rule across the twig–petiole interface of temperate woody species

“…This discrepancy most likely results from the model's ancillary assumption of an isometric relationship between vessel size and number, which does not hold true for the species examined here. Certainly, twigs and petioles are anatomically different in many ways that probably affect vessel frequency or diameter ratios (Faisal et al 2010;Vogel 1992). It is also important to note that the model proposed by Savage et al (2010) is posited to operate on a broader taxonomic and ecological scale than the one investigated in our study.…”

Flexible Medical Devices: Review of Controllable Stiffness Solutions

“…A model based on foam with closed cells filled with fluid can estimate the value of the elastic modulus as a function of the turgor pressure of carrot tissues [115]. The leaf support depends on the biomechanical characteristics of the petioles [116]. A model to link the bending stiffness and the cell radius is proposed in [116], based on shape transformers and validated by experimental results.…”

“…The leaf support depends on the biomechanical characteristics of the petioles [116]. A model to link the bending stiffness and the cell radius is proposed in [116], based on shape transformers and validated by experimental results. The elastic modulus of apple and potato tissues is evaluated in [117], while the hardening of plant food when it is dried is studied in [118].…”

A Multiscale Mechanical Model for Plant Tissue Stiffness

“…It has been demonstrated that the shape, size, and spatial distribution of cells govern the physical, biological, and structural properties of cellular materials [20][21][22]. Hence, the ability to realistically model the cellular microstructure of a plant tissue is crucial to understanding its mechanical behaviour [23,24]. Many researchers have modeled natural cellular solids using repeating unit cells to construct a regular microstructure in the form of a circular, square or hexagonal array of cells [25].…”