How water flow, geometry, and material properties drive plant movements

Abstract

Plants are dynamic. They adjust their shape for feeding, defence, and reproduction. Such plant movements are critical for their survival. We present selected examples covering a range of movements from single cell to tissue level and over a range of time scales. We focus on reversible turgor-driven shape changes. Recent insights into the mechanisms of stomata, bladderwort, the waterwheel, and the Venus flytrap are presented. The underlying physical principles (turgor, osmosis, membrane permeability, wall stress, snap buckling, and elastic instability) are highlighted, and advances in our understanding of these processes are summarized.

Keywords: Bladderwort; Venus flytrap; elastic instability; guard cells; membrane permeability; osmosis; plant biomechanics; snap buckling; stomata; waterwheel.