Magnetic resonance imaging reveals functional anatomy and biomechanics of a living dragon tree.

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to gain in vivo insight into load-induced displacements of inner plant tissues making a non-invasive and non-destructive stress and strain analysis possible. The central aim of this study was the identification of a possible load-adapted orientation of the vascular bundles and their fibre caps as the mechanically relevant tissue in branch-stem-attachments of Dracaena marginata. The complex three-dimensional deformations that occur during mechanical loading can be analysed on the basis of quasi-three-dimensional data representations of the outer surface, the inner tissue arrangement (meristem and vascular system), and the course of single vascular bundles within the branch-stem-attachment region. In addition, deformations of vascular bundles could be quantified manually and by using digital image correlation software. This combination of qualitative and quantitative stress and strain analysis leads to an improved understanding of the functional morphology and biomechanics of D. marginata, a plant that is used as a model organism for optimizing branched technical fibre-reinforced lightweight trusses in order to increase their load bearing capacity.

Plant phenotyping relevance

MRIとデジタル画像相関を用いて、生体植物の内部組織配置および荷重下の変形・応力・ひずみを定量化することが研究の中心であり、植物の形態・力学的状態を取得する手法の実質的応用である。

Code and data availability

The article describes MRI-based phenotyping of Dracaena marginata with manual and software-based (ARAMIS, bUnwarpJ) deformation analysis, but no public phenotype dataset, image deposit, author code, or model is mentioned. The only URLs are the license, a cited MRI tutorial, and the R project homepage (a generic tool, a

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