Plantae  

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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Red leaves hide plants from insects: plants
 

Anthocyanins in leaves camouflage the plant from insects and make insects more vulnerable to predators by inhibiting the reflecting of green wavelengths.

 
  "Hence, leaf anthocyanins by closing the green reflectance window left by chlorophyll make the leaf less discernible to insect consumers (plant camouflage hypothesis). Alternatively (or in addition), the usually green folivorous insects, if found on a red leaf, are more easily recognized by their predators (undermining of insect camouflage by the plant)…The neglected hypothesis of plant camouflage against herbivory and the recent opinion that leaf redness may undermine the green folivorous insect camouflage are theoretically more sound since they are compatible with folivorous insect vision physiology and also afford a reasonable explanation for the almost exclusive selection of red anthocyanins in leaves." (Manetas 2006:172)
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Thylakoidal system transports folded proteins: plants
 

Thylakoids of plants and cyanobacteria are able to transport folded or malformed proteins across tightly sealed membranes via a protein translocation system.

 
  "A subset of lumen proteins is transported across the thylakoid membrane by a Sec-independent translocase that recognizes a twin-arginine motif in the targeting signal. A related system operates in bacteria, apparently for the export of redox cofactor-containing proteins. In this report we describe a key feature of this system, the ability to transport folded proteins. The thylakoidal system is able to transport dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) when an appropriate signal is attached, and the transport efficiency is almost undiminished by the binding of folate analogs such as methotrexate that cause the protein to fold very tightly. The system is moreover able to transport DHFR into the lumen with methotrexate bound in the active site, demonstrating that the ΔpH-driven transport of large, native structures is possible by this pathway. However, correct folding is not a prerequisite for transport. Truncated, malfolded DHFR can be translocated by this system, as can physiological substrates that are severely malfolded by the incorporation of amino acid analogs." (Hynds et al. 1998:34868)
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Pollen survives extreme dehydration: flowering plants
 

Pollen of flowering plants can survive extreme dehydration via several mechanisms, including a reversible wall-folding pathway that results in complete impermeability.

 
  "Upon release from the anther, pollen grains of angiosperm flowers are  exposed to a dry environment and dehydrate. To survive  this process, pollen grains possess a variety of  physiological and structural adaptations. Perhaps the most striking of  these  adaptations is the ability of the pollen wall to  fold onto itself to prevent further desiccation. Roger P. Wodehouse  coined  the term harmomegathy for this folding process in  recognition of the critical role it plays in the survival of the pollen  grain. There is still, however, no quantitative  theory that explains how the structure of the pollen wall contributes to  harmomegathy.  Here we demonstrate that simple geometrical and  mechanical principles explain how wall structure guides pollen grains  toward  distinct folding pathways. We found that the  presence of axially elongated apertures of high compliance is critical  for achieving  a predictable and reversible folding pattern.  Moreover, the intricate sculpturing of the wall assists pollen closure  by preventing  mirror buckling of the surface. These results  constitute quantitative structure-function relationships for pollen  harmomegathy  and provide a framework to elucidate the functional  significance of the very diverse pollen morphologies observed in  angiosperms." (Katifori et al. 2010:7635)
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