Plant Biomechanics

Plant Biomechanics
Author: Anja Geitmann
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2018-06-09
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319790994

This book provides important insights into the operating principles of plants by highlighting the relationship between structure and function. It describes the quantitative determination of structural and mechanical parameters, such as the material properties of a tissue, in correlation with specific features, such as the ability of the tissue to conduct water or withstand bending forces, which will allow advanced analysis in plant biomechanics. This knowledge enables researchers to understand the developmental changes that occur in plant organs over their life span and under the influence of environmental factors. The authors provide an overview of the state of the art of plant structure and function and how they relate to the mechanical behavior of the organism, such as the ability of plants to grow against the gravity vector or to withstand the forces of wind. They also show the sophisticated strategies employed by plants to effect organ movement and morphogenesis in the absence of muscles or cellular migration. As such, this book not only appeals to scientists currently working in plant sciences and biophysics, but also inspires future generations to pursue their own research in this area.

Plant Biomechanics

Plant Biomechanics
Author: Karl J. Niklas
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 634
Release: 1992-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780226586304

In this book, the author analyzes plant form and how it has evolved in response to basic physical laws. He examines the ways these laws limit the organic expression of form, size, and growth in a variety of plant structures and in plants as whole organisms, drawing on both the fossil record and studies of extant species.

Plant Biomechanics

Plant Biomechanics
Author: Karl J. Niklas
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 630
Release: 1992-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0226586316

In this book, the author analyzes plant form and how it has evolved in response to basic physical laws. He examines the ways these laws limit the organic expression of form, size, and growth in a variety of plant structures and in plants as whole organisms, drawing on both the fossil record and studies of extant species.

Plant Physics

Plant Physics
Author: Karl J. Niklas
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 447
Release: 2012-02-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0226586340

From Galileo, who used the hollow stalks of grass to demonstrate the idea that peripherally located construction materials provide most of the resistance to bending forces, to Leonardo da Vinci, whose illustrations of the parachute are alleged to be based on his study of the dandelion’s pappus and the maple tree’s samara, many of our greatest physicists, mathematicians, and engineers have learned much from studying plants. A symbiotic relationship between botany and the fields of physics, mathematics, engineering, and chemistry continues today, as is revealed in Plant Physics. The result of a long-term collaboration between plant evolutionary biologist Karl J. Niklas and physicist Hanns-Christof Spatz, Plant Physics presents a detailed account of the principles of classical physics, evolutionary theory, and plant biology in order to explain the complex interrelationships among plant form, function, environment, and evolutionary history. Covering a wide range of topics—from the development and evolution of the basic plant body and the ecology of aquatic unicellular plants to mathematical treatments of light attenuation through tree canopies and the movement of water through plants’ roots, stems, and leaves—Plant Physics is destined to inspire students and professionals alike to traverse disciplinary membranes.

Ecology and Biomechanics

Ecology and Biomechanics
Author: Anthony Herrel
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2006-01-13
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1420001590

We live in a well-engineered universe. This engineering is present in every system and organism in existence, including in the actions and interactions of plants and animals. In fact, one could say that the function and movement of plants and animals is just as much a part of their makeup as chlorophyll and fiber or bone and blood. Consequently, if

Solid Biomechanics

Solid Biomechanics
Author: Roland Ennos
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2012
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0691135509

Offering a review of the biomechanical design of organisms, from bacteria onwards, this book shows how the bodies of animals & plants are masterpieces of engineering, enabling them to survive in a hostile world.

Biomechanics

Biomechanics
Author: Y.C. Fung
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2013-03-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1441968563

Biomechanics aims to explain the mechanics oflife and living. From molecules to organisms, everything must obey the laws of mechanics. Clarification of mechanics clarifies many things. Biomechanics helps us to appreciate life. It sensitizes us to observe nature. It is a tool for design and invention of devices to improve the quality of life. It is a useful tool, a simple tool, a valuable tool, an unavoidable tool. It is a necessary part of biology and engineering. The method of biomechanics is the method of engineering, which consists of observation, experimentation, theorization, validation, and application. To understand any object, we must know its geometry and materials of construc tion, the mechanical properties of the materials involved, the governing natural laws, the mathematical formulation of specific problems and their solutions, and the results of validation. Once understood, one goes on to develop applications. In my plan to present an outline of biomechanics, I followed the engineering approach and used three volumes. In the first volume, Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues, the geometrical struc ture and the rheological properties of various materials, tissues, and organs are presented. In the second volume, Biodynamics: Circulation, the physiology of blood circulation is analyzed by the engineering method.

Plant Allometry

Plant Allometry
Author: Karl J. Niklas
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 424
Release: 1994-10-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780226580807

Allometry, the study of the growth rate of an organism's parts in relation to the whole, has produced exciting results in research on animals. Now distinguished plant biologist Karl J. Niklas has written the first book to apply allometry to studies of the evolution, morphology, physiology, and reproduction of plants. Niklas covers a broad spectrum of plant life, from unicellular algae to towering trees, including fossil as well as extant taxa. He examines the relation between organic size and variations in plant form, metabolism, reproduction, and evolution, and draws on the zoological literature to develop allometric techniques for the peculiar problems of plant height, the relation between body mass and body length, and size-correlated variations in rates of growth. For readers unfamiliar with the basics of allometry, an appendix explains basic statistical methods. For botanists interested in an original, quantitative approach to plant evolution and function, and for zoologists who want to learn more about the value of allometric techniques for studying evolution, Plant Allometry makes a major contribution to the study of plant life.

Introductory Biomechanics

Introductory Biomechanics
Author: C. Ross Ethier
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 10
Release: 2007-03-12
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1139461826

Introductory Biomechanics is a new, integrated text written specifically for engineering students. It provides a broad overview of this important branch of the rapidly growing field of bioengineering. A wide selection of topics is presented, ranging from the mechanics of single cells to the dynamics of human movement. No prior biological knowledge is assumed and in each chapter, the relevant anatomy and physiology are first described. The biological system is then analyzed from a mechanical viewpoint by reducing it to its essential elements, using the laws of mechanics and then tying mechanical insights back to biological function. This integrated approach provides students with a deeper understanding of both the mechanics and the biology than from qualitative study alone. The text is supported by a wealth of illustrations, tables and examples, a large selection of suitable problems and hundreds of current references, making it an essential textbook for any biomechanics course.