Department of Biology Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon

How does form emerge from cellular processes? Using cell-based mechanical models of growth, we investigated the geometry of leaf vasculature and the cellular arrangements at the shoot apex. These models incorporate turgor pressure, wall mechanical properties and cell division. In connection with experimental data, they allowed us to, on the one hand, account for characteristic geometrical property of vein junctions, and, on the other hand, speculate that growth is locally regulated.