Hydromechanical field theory of plant morphogenesis
Résumé
The growth of plants is a hydromechanical phenomenon in which cells enlarge by absorbing water, while their walls expand and remodel under turgor-induced tension. In multicellular tissues, where cells are mechanically interconnected, morphogenesis results from the combined effect of local cell growths, which reflects the action of heterogeneous mechanical, physical, and chemical fields, each exerting varying degrees of nonlocal influence within the tissue. To describe this process, we propose a physical field theory of plant growth. This theory treats the tissue as a poromorphoelastic body, namely a growing poroelastic medium, where growth arises from pressure-induced deformations and osmotically-driven imbibition of the tissue. From this perspective, growing regions correspond to hydraulic sinks, leading to the possibility of complex non-local regulations, such as water competition and growth-induced water potential gradients. More in general, this work aims to establish foundations for a mechanistic, mechanical field theory of morphogenesis in plants, where growth arises from the interplay of multiple physical fields, and where biochemical regulations are integrated through specific physical parameters.
Mots clés
plant mechanics morphogenesis growth elasticity morphoelasticity poroelasticity 2020 MSC: 74B20 74F10 74F20 92B99
plant mechanics
morphogenesis
growth
elasticity
morphoelasticity
poroelasticity 2020 MSC: 74B20
74F10
74F20
92B99
Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph)
FOS: Physical sciences
2020 MSC: 74B20
Domaines
Biophysique [physics.bio-ph]Origine | Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte |
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