Slipping vs sticking: Water-dependent adhesive and frictional properties of Linum usitatissimum L. seed mucilaginous envelope and its biological significance.

Kreitschitz, Agnieszka, Kovalev, Alexander and Gorb, Stanislav (2015) Slipping vs sticking: Water-dependent adhesive and frictional properties of Linum usitatissimum L. seed mucilaginous envelope and its biological significance. Acta Biomaterialia, 17 . pp. 152-159. DOI 10.1016/j.actbio.2015.01.042.

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Abstract

Flax seeds produce mucilage after wetting. The mucilage due to its ability to absorb and maintain water is responsible for specific surface properties which are essential for seed dispersal in different ways. In the present paper, we asked how the hydration level affects the adhesive and frictional properties of the mucilage and which role does the mucilage play in seed dispersal? We have experimentally quantified: (1) desiccation dynamics of seeds with a mucilage envelope, (2) desiccation-time dependence of their friction coefficient, and (3) desiccation-time dependence of their pull-off forces on a smooth glass substrate. Freshly-hydrated seeds had an extremely low friction coefficient, which rapidly increased with an increasing desiccation time. Pull-off force just after hydration was rather low, then increased with an increasing water loss. Adhesion and friction experiments show that there is a clear maximum in the force values at certain hydration states of the mucilage. Different hydration levels of the mucilage can be employed in various dispersal mechanisms. Fully hydrated mucilage with its low viscosity gives optimal sliding conditions for endozoochory, whereas water loss provides conditions for the epizoochory. We suggest that the hydration level of the mucilage envelope can determine the potential mode of flax seed dispersal. (C) 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Document Type: Article
Additional Information: Times Cited: 0
Keywords: Biological adhesion, Desiccation, Friction, Linum usitatissimum, Pectic mucilage
Research affiliation: Kiel University > Kiel Marine Science
OceanRep > The Future Ocean - Cluster of Excellence
Kiel University
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: Elsevier
Projects: Future Ocean
Date Deposited: 18 Oct 2016 03:45
Last Modified: 19 Jul 2019 08:32
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/32555

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