Beginning with the basics of plant motion, this book explains technologies for translating plant-like movements to new adaptive materials, with explicit reference to helicopter and aeronautic applications. It intends to assist materials scientists and engineers to initiate research and design in the field of nastic materials and structures.

"Beginning with the basics of plant motion, this book explains technologies for translating plant-like movements to new adaptive materials, with explicit reference to helicopter and aeronautic applications."--Publisher description.

General aspects of plant movement; Introduction; Stimulus perception; Reception and trasduction of electrical and mechanical stimuli; Endogenous rhythms in the movement of plants; Intracellular movements; Role of microtubules in intracellular movements; Actomyosin as a basic mechanism of movement in animals and plants; Cytoplasmic streaming in physarum; Cytoplasmic streaming and cyclosis of chloroplasts; Chloroplast and nuclear migration; Locomotion in microbial plants; Mechanisms of locomotion; Bacterial flagella; Plant cilia; Gliding movements; Control of locomoltion; Photomovement; Chemotaxis in bacteria; Chemotaxis in unicellular eukaryotes; Movement of slime molds; Movements using turgor mechanisms; Movements of stomata; Leaf movements and tendril curling; Growth movements; Growth movements directed by light; Induction of polarity; Phototropism; Growth movements directed by gravity; Gravitropism in single cells; Graviperception in multicellular organs; Growth-control mechanisms in gravitropism; Growth movements not directed primarily by external stimuli; Circumnutation; Epinasty; Author index; Subject index.

From Galileo, who used the hollow stalks of grass to demonstrate the idea that peripherally located construction materials provide most of the resistance to bending forces, to Leonardo da Vinci, whose illustrations of the parachute are alleged to be based on his study of the dandelion’s pappus and the maple tree’s samara, many of our greatest physicists, mathematicians, and engineers have learned much from studying plants. A symbiotic relationship between botany and the fields of physics, mathematics, engineering, and chemistry continues today, as is revealed in Plant Physics. The result of a long-term collaboration between plant evolutionary biologist Karl J. Niklas and physicist Hanns-Christof Spatz, Plant Physics presents a detailed account of the principles of classical physics, evolutionary theory, and plant biology in order to explain the complex interrelationships among plant form, function, environment, and evolutionary history. Covering a wide range of topics—from the development and evolution of the basic plant body and the ecology of aquatic unicellular plants to mathematical treatments of light attenuation through tree canopies and the movement of water through plants’ roots, stems, and leaves—Plant Physics is destined to inspire students and professionals alike to traverse disciplinary membranes.

This book provides important insights into the operating principles of plants by highlighting the relationship between structure and function. It describes the quantitative determination of structural and mechanical parameters, such as the material properties of a tissue, in correlation with specific features, such as the ability of the tissue to conduct water or withstand bending forces, which will allow advanced analysis in plant biomechanics. This knowledge enables researchers to understand the developmental changes that occur in plant organs over their life span and under the influence of environmental factors. The authors provide an overview of the state of the art of plant structure and function and how they relate to the mechanical behavior of the organism, such as the ability of plants to grow against the gravity vector or to withstand the forces of wind. They also show the sophisticated strategies employed by plants to effect organ movement and morphogenesis in the absence of muscles or cellular migration. As such, this book not only appeals to scientists currently working in plant sciences and biophysics, but also inspires future generations to pursue their own research in this area.

Chemical reactions and interactions between molecules are commonly considered the basis of life, and thus the biochemical nature of cells and organisms is relatively well recognized. Research conducted in recent years, however, increasingly indicates that physical forces profoundly affect the functioning of life at all levels of its organization. To detect and to respond to such forces, plant cells and plants need to be structured mechanically. This volume focuses on mechanical aspects of plant life. It starts with a consideration of the mechanical integration of supracellular structures and mechanical properties of cellular building blocks to show how the structural integrity of plant cells is achieved and maintained during growth and development. The following chapters reveal how the functioning of integrated plant cells contributes to the mechanical integration of plants, and how the latter are able to detect physical stimuli and to reorganize their own cells in response to them. The mechanical aspects of plant responses to stresses are also presented. Finally, all these aspects are placed in an evolutionary context.