Delayed control driven oscillations in plant roots
Fuente:
arXiv
Gespeichert in:
| Hauptverfasser: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2026
|
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online-Zugang: | |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| _version_ | 1866917450609590272 |
|---|---|
| author | Noronha, Riz Fernando Kaneko, Kunihiko Fujimoto, Koichi |
| author_facet | Noronha, Riz Fernando Kaneko, Kunihiko Fujimoto, Koichi |
| contents | Arabidopsis roots show oscillatory growth patterns on homogeneous agar surfaces, whereas other plants, such as maize, do not. Although several explanations have been proposed, a simple and general model that makes testable predictions across species has been lacking. Roots sense gravity and correct their growth direction towards the vertical. Motivated by recent evidence for a time delay in this gravitropic correction, we develop a minimal nonlinear model based on the delay hypothesis that predicts whether a root oscillates or grows vertically downwards. The model identifies a fourfold relation between the delay and time period, robust across different response functions. Analysing images of Arabidopsis, we find that the mode of the oscillatory arc length is not significantly different between inclined and vertical growth conditions. The quantitative agreement between the experimentally measured oscillatory arc length and the arc length estimated from estimated root growth speed and response delay supports this fourfold delay-period rule for delay-driven root oscillations. The simplicity of our model allows for a direct comparison with data from diverse plant species. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_27675 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Delayed control driven oscillations in plant roots Noronha, Riz Fernando Kaneko, Kunihiko Fujimoto, Koichi Biological Physics Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems Chaotic Dynamics Arabidopsis roots show oscillatory growth patterns on homogeneous agar surfaces, whereas other plants, such as maize, do not. Although several explanations have been proposed, a simple and general model that makes testable predictions across species has been lacking. Roots sense gravity and correct their growth direction towards the vertical. Motivated by recent evidence for a time delay in this gravitropic correction, we develop a minimal nonlinear model based on the delay hypothesis that predicts whether a root oscillates or grows vertically downwards. The model identifies a fourfold relation between the delay and time period, robust across different response functions. Analysing images of Arabidopsis, we find that the mode of the oscillatory arc length is not significantly different between inclined and vertical growth conditions. The quantitative agreement between the experimentally measured oscillatory arc length and the arc length estimated from estimated root growth speed and response delay supports this fourfold delay-period rule for delay-driven root oscillations. The simplicity of our model allows for a direct comparison with data from diverse plant species. |
| title | Delayed control driven oscillations in plant roots |
| topic | Biological Physics Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems Chaotic Dynamics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.27675 |