Structural Development and Morphology of the Attachment System of Parthenocissus tricuspidata

Abstract

AbstractThe climbing Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) achieves permanent attachment through tendrils equipped with adhesive pads. The highly efficient structures secrete an adhesive fluid and were found to attach to a wide variety of substrates, both organic and inorganic. However, information about the attachment process including the ontogenetic development of the attachment pads and the underlying structures is scarce. We investigated the morphology and ontogenetic changes of attachment pads during the attachment process. Attachment structures consist of several pads, and the mean projected attachment pad area was found to be dependent on the substrate. However, the maximum and minimum projected areas were similar on all tested substrates. Attached and nonattached structures were analyzed using different microscopy methods. Ontogenetic variations in the morphology of attached and nonattached structures and structural gradients within the attachment pads were observed: cell size, cell orientatio...