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Morphogenesis

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Live Confocal Imaging of Developing Arabidopsis Flowers

Live Confocal Imaging of Developing Arabidopsis Flowers

Published on: April 1, 2017

Physical models of plant development.

Olivier Ali¹, Vincent Mirabet, Christophe Godin

¹Virtual Plants INRIA Team, UMR AGAP, 34398 Montpellier, France.

Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology

|July 9, 2014

Summary

This study reviews mechanical models of plant morphogenesis, exploring how physics and genetics interact to shape organisms. It discusses various models from subcellular to tissue levels, highlighting commonalities and differences.

Keywords:

growth mechanics simulation

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Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Biophysics
Computational Biology

Background:

Organismal shape is a fundamental aspect of developmental biology.
Morphogenesis is primarily understood through genetic regulation.
Physical laws govern cellular and tissue deformations, influencing organismal shape.

Purpose of the Study:

To provide an overview of mechanical models in plant morphogenesis.
To explore the interplay between genetic regulation and physical forces in shaping organisms.
To discuss common concepts and discrepancies among different modeling approaches.

Main Methods:

Review of existing theoretical models of plant morphogenesis.
Analysis of models spanning subcellular, cellular, and tissue scales.
Discussion of numerical simulations used to study growing tissues.

Main Results:

Identified key mechanical models applied to plant development.
Highlighted the integration of physical constraints with genetic control in morphogenesis.
Detailed common principles and divergent aspects across various models.

Conclusions:

Mechanical models are crucial for understanding the physical basis of morphogenesis.
Theoretical and simulation approaches complement experimental studies in developmental biology.
Further research is needed to reconcile discrepancies and refine models of plant shape determination.