The Role of Fiber Reinforced Gels in Maintaining Metastable Water in Plants

ORAL

Abstract

Plants resistance to droughts rely on the ability to stop the spread of gas embolism in the sap network. Dedicated porous membranes segment the sap network to prevent this gas embolism spread. With experiments on plants and on artificial composite materials we study how the composition of those membranes, a natural fiber reinforced gel, sets their fracture toughness and how it impacts the plants resistance to droughts.

*Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Harvard University (MRSEC, NSF Grant no. 20 DMR 14-20570)

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Presenters

  • Alexandre Ponomarenko

    • OEB, department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

Authors

  • Alexandre Ponomarenko

    • OEB, department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

  • William Steinhardt

    • SEAS, John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
    • Harvard University

  • Fulton Rockwell

    • OEB, department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

  • Shmuel Rubinstein

    • SEAS, John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
    • Applied Physics, Harvard Univ
    • SEAS, Harvard Univ
    • Harvard Univ
    • Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
    • SEAS, Harvard University
    • Harvard University

  • Noel Holbrook

    • OEB, department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University