Biomechanics in plant resistance to drought

Abstract: During drought, plant functions at multi-levels (i.e., tissue, cellular and molecular) are adjustable with the change of water condition, which is known as drought resistance. Various biological, chemical and physical mechanisms have been found in plant drought resistance, among which the role of physical cues (especially mechanics) has attracted significantly increasing attention. Recent studies have shown that mechanics is one of the fundamental factors that control the responses and self-adaptation from tissue to molecular levels in plant when the external conditions changes. In the review, we examine how the factor of mechanics acts on the multi-level plant functions under drought stress, including water transport, tissue deformation, cell growth, cell movements, molecules interaction and signal pathway. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]