About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Biological Materials Science
|
| Presentation Title |
Adaptive Mechanics of Protection and Dispersal in Platanus Fruit Heads |
| Author(s) |
Haocheng Quan, Boyan Du, Zhaochang Chen |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Haocheng Quan |
| Abstract Scope |
Plants must protect seeds during development while enabling timely release and dispersal. Here, we investigate how spherical fruit heads of Platanus coordinate these competing functions. X-ray micro-computed tomography reveals radially oriented achenes densely packed around a fibrous core, forming a space-filling contact network. Compression experiments and mechanical analyses show that loading increases inter-achene contacts and restricts rearrangement, leading to densification and jamming-like stiffening that suppress localized collapse. Wet–dry cycling progressively disrupts connectivity and generates preferential fracture paths, enabling controlled fragmentation of the fruit head. After release, hairs surrounding individual achenes increase aerodynamic drag, reduce descent velocity, and facilitate wind dispersal. Thus, Platanus integrates packing, environmentally mediated fracture, and aerodynamic specialization within a single structure, shifting sequentially from collective protection to fragmentation and individual dispersal. This study reveals a stage-dependent mechanical strategy for reconciling structural robustness with controlled biological disassembly. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Characterization, Biomaterials, Other |