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Botanical ratchets.

I M Kulić1, M Mani, H Mohrbach

  • 1Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. kulic@seas.harvard.edu

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|March 28, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Nature

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Plant biology
  • Mechanics

Background:

  • Ratcheting surfaces, found in nature like plant awns, aid seed dispersal.
  • These structures exhibit anisotropic (directional) properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how anisotropically toothed surfaces act as motion rectifiers.
  • To determine the relationship between awn length and ratchet efficiency.

Main Methods:

  • Two simple model experiments were conducted.
  • Theoretical analysis was combined with experimental data.

Main Results:

  • Anisotropically toothed surfaces function as natural motion rectifiers.
  • A linear relationship was found between awn length and ratchet efficiency under biologically relevant conditions.

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Conclusions:

  • Grass awns convert environmental stresses (e.g., humidity) into directed motion.
  • Awn length acts as a fluctuation amplifier, providing a selective advantage in plants.