Plantae  

Tissues create hydrostatic pressure: plants
 

Tissues of plants generate hydrostatic pressure by injecting solutes into a confined space and allowing water to enter.

 
  "Osmotic Motors: Hydraulic motors and actuators work on the basis of a change in hydrostatic pressure…plants generate hydrostatic pressure by injecting solutes into a confined space that must be surrounded by a selective membrane that retains the solutes but allows water to permeate freely into this space. Osmosis therefore requires two components: a semipermeable membrane inside to concentrate the solutes and a restraining, but elastic and expandable wall outside to prevent the compartment from bursting when water is taken up during the hydration of these solutes. The hydration of the solutes generates hydrostatic pressure inside the osmotic compartments. All plants use osmosis to pump and concentrate water-binding electrolytes and nonelectrolytes into the inside of their cells and in particular into the vacuole, a membrane-surrounded compartment specifically designed for storing solutes and water. Osmotically operating plant cells allow the build-up of internal pressures far exceeding that of car tires." (Bar-Cohen 2006:474)
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Structural composition provides strength in changing conditions: plants
 

The cell walls of vascular plants provide mechanical strength during different stages of growth by adjusting their structural composition.

 
  "Plant cells need to be fully hydrated to work properly (except in periods of dormancy, as for example in many seeds). Individual vegetative cells in plants, unlike those in animals, are encased in a cellulose cell wall. The cellulose cell wall may be very thin, in cells that are actively dividing, as for example, in growing shoot or root tips. However, once developed into their mature form, the cell walls may become thicker, and additional substances, mainly lignins, incorporated into their structure. The cells themselves, then, contribute to the mechanical strength of the plant. Thin-walled cells when fully hydrated, are like small, pressurised containers. Mature cells, especially those with thick walls, have mechanical strength of their own, even without watery contents. Indeed, many fibres lack living contents when mature." (Cutler 2005:98)
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Structures maximize light absorption: plants
 

Thylakoid structures of plants and cyanobacteria maximize exposure to light by being stacked and cross-linked.

 
  "Since life needs light, air, and a protective shield, it is in theory subject to conditions similar to those that prevail for a photochemical surface reaction. Such a reaction is the process of photosynthesis in green leaves, by which light is transformed into chemical energy. Perhaps, then, nature would build cities similar to the submicroscopic thylakoid structures--the power stations of plants, which consist of self-contained flat membrane sacs, often stacked like rolls of coins and linked to each other by many cross-connections. The units are arranged so as to make maximal use of light and to form as large a contact surface as possible with the environment--architectonic criteria our cities still fail to meet adequately. A bird's-eye view of a natural metropolis would show nothing but green. No roofs, parking lots, or highways would be visible. All flat surfaces would be covered with woods, parks, and gardens. The vertical structures would be the facades of offices, residential buildings, cafes, and boutiques, all with access to nature. Inside the 'thylakoid structures' would be sufficient space for transportation, parking lots, shopping malls, and factories, which could manage with artificial light." (Tributsch 1984:7-8)
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Root systems control erosion: vascular plants
 

Root systems of plants control erosion through architectural characteristics.

 
  "A distinction is usually made between mechanical and hydrological effects of roots without much focus on the influence of architectural characteristics on these effects. Some commonly used architectural characteristics are the spatial distribution of root area ratio for slope stability analysis and root density or root length density for analysis of water erosion control. But many other architectural features, such as the branching pattern, root orientation and fractal characteristics, seem empirically and intuitively related to the effect of root systems on erosion phenomena. Many links between root system architectural characteristics and their soil fixing effects probably do exist and more links could be identified. However, most of these links remain very weak and empirical. The research which is needed to make these relationships explicit is still poorly developed and mainly focused on resistance against uprooting by wind loading. Moreover, although the mechanical and hydrological mechanisms of soil-root interaction are rather well described for simple processes such as sheet, rill or interrill erosion, this knowledge is almost nonexistent for complex processes such as gully erosion. This hampers understanding the importance of root system architecture for these processes." (Reubens et al. 2007:398-399)
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