The Coiling of Split Dandelion Scape Induced by Cell Hygroscopicity

Abstract

It is of great significance to study the water absorption and expansion of cells, which are essential for the growth and life regulation of plants, not only for understanding the complex life phenomena of plants, but also for the manufacture of biomimetic materials. The main purpose of this study is to shed light on the mechanism of a novel coiling phenomenon of the split dandelion scape soaked in water and the high concentration mannitol solution. We discovered that the difference between water absorption/dehydration capacities of inner cells and lateral cells of the split dandelion scape generates asymmetric expansion/contraction between inner and lateral layers, resulting two opposite coiled patterns. Analogous to the deformable hypothesis of the thermal expansion model, the water absorption-induced cell expansion model was proposed to explain the coiling process of the split dandelion scape. Both the simulation and experimental results revealed that the coiling of dandelion scape is strongly depended on the response of cells to the stimulation of the solution environment. Showing considerable potential load bearing capacity of plants, the coiling phenomenon can be an inspiration to the designs of soft robots and bionic sensors for humidity control.