In:
Journal of The Royal Society Interface, The Royal Society, Vol. 7, No. 50 ( 2010-09-06), p. 1383-1389
Abstract:
English ivy ( Hedera helix L.) is able to grow on vertical substrates such as trees, rocks and house plaster, thereby attaching so firmly to the surface that when removed by force typically whole pieces of the climbing substrate are torn off. The structural details of the attachment process are not yet entirely understood. We studied the attachment process of English ivy in detail and suggest a four-phase process to describe the attachment strategy: (i) initial physical contact, (ii) form closure of the root with the substrate, (iii) chemical adhesion, and (iv) shape changes of the root hairs and form-closure with the substrate. These four phases and their variations play an important role in the attachment to differently structured surfaces. We demonstrate that, in English ivy, different mechanisms work together to allow the plant's attachment to various climbing substrates and reveal the importance of micro-fibril orientation in the root hairs for the attachment based on structural changes at the subcellular level.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1742-5689
,
1742-5662
DOI:
10.1098/rsif.2010.0140
Language:
English
Publisher:
The Royal Society
Publication Date:
2010
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2156283-0
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