Plant stems are one of nature's most impressive mechanical constructs. Their sophisticated
hierarchical structure and multifunctionality allow trees to grow more than 100 m tall. This …

Within the natural world, organisms use information stored in their material structure to
generate a physical response to a wide variety of environmental changes. The ability to …

We provide an overview of research on climbing plants from Charles Darwin to the present
day. Following Darwin's interests, this review will focus on functional perspectives including …

External mechanical forces resulting from the pressure exerted by wind or water movement
are a major stress factor for plants and may cause regular disturbances in many ecosystems …

The vascular system of lianas exhibits a number of shared features that result from
convergent evolution and are independent of their taxonomic affinities. This chapter …

Finding a suitable support is a key process in the life history of climbing plants. Those that
find a suitable support have greater performance and fitness than those that remain …

In science, standardization of terminology is crucial to make information accessible and
allow proper comparison of studies' results. Climbing plants and the climbing habit have …

Climbing plants require an external support to grow vertically and enhance light acquisition.
Vines that find a suitable support have greater performance and fitness than those that …

Plant and animal biomechanists have much in common. Although their frame of reference
differs, they think about the natural world in similar ways. While researchers studying …

Background As proposed by Darwin, climbers have been assumed to allocate a smaller
fraction of biomass to support organs in comparison with self-supporting plants. They have …