Internal stress controls tendril writhing dynamics in climbing plants

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Dilly, Emilien; Derr, Julien; Zanchi, Drazen
• 署名单位: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Communaute Universite Grenoble Alpes; Universite Grenoble Alpes (UGA); Universite Paris Cite; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon (ENS de LYON); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2537010123
• 发表日期: 2026-07-21
• 页码: e2537010123
• 关键词: plant mechanics; mechanosensitivity; elastic rods; writhing instability; GROWTH; PERVERSION; helix

摘要

We present experimental results on the writhing dynamics of cucumber plant tendrils subjected to an axial traction force. At low forces, the tendrils' curvature saturates exponentially in time at a limiting value. At forces higher than the critical threshold, the tendril fails to coil but develops an intrinsic coiling-prone stress, corresponding to an intrinsic residual curvature, visible if the load is released. Growth-field assessments indicate that curvature arises from differential growth. To understand these experiments we develop an autotropic morphoelastic growth model with a bi-strip geometry, in which one strip undergoes mechanosensitive growth. In the absence of an external load, curvature generation is solely limited by internal stresses. To link the actual curvature to a finite external force, the tendril is approximated as a Kirchhoff rod. The resulting model reproduces the two observed regimes: below the critical axial force, the tendril coils, and above this force, the tendril remains straight but still exhibits intrinsic curvature.