Mind the Gap: Reach and Mechanical Diversity of Searcher Shoots in Climbing Plants

Climbing plants need to reach supports and position their leaves for light capture. Vines lianas develop a large diversity of self-supporting shoots among diverse species different kinds attachment. A searcher’s is crucial trait colonising in complex three-dimensional spaces. We explore the capacity searcher representative temperate tropical climbing plants. investigate overall range variation between short- long-reach searchers; mechanical anatomical organisations underlying capacities; how architectures are linked strategies such as stem twining, tendril climbing, root branch-angle-hook climbing. investigated (stem rigidity stiffness, tissue geometry) 29 plant from habitats. Searchers show wide maximal per 0.1 2.5 m. Flexural ( EI ) at base searchers increased with length; this increase was proportional although some longest-reaching proportionally thinner bases higher stiffness [structural Young’s modulus E str )] than shorter-reach shoots. Bases short-reach rely more on primary tissues compared shoots, which wood production. identified given across all species. These attachment mechanisms, support foraging, possibly leaf display. Plants attaching by twining main showed capacity. They also developed lighter, slender, less rigid, but generally relatively stiff (higher climbers climbers. Differences architecture informative understanding colonise This key feature that distinguishes habitat preferences. discuss knowledge not only important functional biology ecology interest developing new technologies soft robotics mimic can navigate through unstructured environments.