Université de Fribourg

Mathematical modeling of the dynamics of shoot-root interactions and resource partitioning in plant growth

Feller, Chrystel ; Favre, Patrick ; Janka, Ales ; Zeeman, Samuel C. ; Gabriel, Jean-Pierre ; Reinhardt, Didier

In: PLoS ONE, 2015, vol. 10, no. 7, p. e0127905

Plants are highly plastic in their potential to adapt to changing environmental conditions. For example, they can selectively promote the relative growth of the root and the shoot in response to limiting supply of mineral nutrients and light, respectively, a phenomenon that is referred to as balanced growth or functional equilibrium. To gain insight into the regulatory network that controls this...

Université de Fribourg

Self-Organization of plant vascular systems: claims and counter-claims about the flux-based auxin transport model

Feller, Chrystel ; Farcot, Etienne ; Mazza, Christian

In: PLoS ONE, 2015, vol. 10, no. 3, p. e0118238

The plant hormone auxin plays a central role in growth and morphogenesis. In shoot apical meristems, auxin flux is polarized through its interplay with PIN proteins. Concentration-based mathematical models of the flux can explain some aspects of phyllotaxis for the L1 surface layer, where auxin accumulation points act as sinks and develop into primordia. The picture differs in the interior of the...

Université de Fribourg

Pattern formation in auxin flux

Feller, Chrystel ; Gabriel, Jean-Pierre ; Mazza, Christian. ; Yerly, Florence

In: Journal of Mathematical Biology, 2014, vol. 68, no. 4, p. 879–909

The plant hormone auxin is fundamental for plant growth, and its spatial distribution in plant tissues is critical for plant morphogenesis. We consider a leading model of the polar auxin flux, and study in full detail the stability of the possible equilibrium configurations. We show that the critical states of the auxin transport process are composed of basic building blocks, which are...