Cellular structure of potato creates high internal pressure.
The cellular structure of a potato holds high internal pressure, which is exerted evenly on the internal surface of the potato skin. (Courtesy of the Biomimicry Guild)
Image: Stanbalik / Pixabay / Free non-commercial use
Maintain Homeostasis
When a living system is in homeostasis, it means that internal conditions are stable and relatively constant. For example, a human’s internal temperature is approximately 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) unless there’s an illness. The human body maintains this temperature despite external ambient temperature. However, as with all physiological processes, maintaining homeostasis requires communication and coordination. So living systems have ways to detect changes from the norm, mechanisms to cause an adjustment, and negative feedback connections between the two. A desert lizard called the Gila monster offers a good example of maintaining homeostasis. The lizard goes from eating large meals to fasting for extended time periods. To maintain its blood sugar levels at a steady level, when food is scarce, its endocrine system releases a hormone that raises its blood sugar levels.
Modify Pressure
For many living systems, modifying pressure provides extra strength. For others, it provides ways to move air. To use pressure effectively requires a reliable source of pressure, as well as mechanisms to create and release the pressure as needed. Often, modifications in pressure within a living system are created by water, although air can also be a source. An example of a water-facilitated pressure system is wilted leaves that use hydrostatic pressure to stiffen. They do so by bringing solutes (such as salts) into their cells, which causes them to draw in water.
Flowering Plants
Clade Angiosperms (“receptacle seed”): Dandelions, oaks, grasses, cacti, apples
With 416 families containing some 300,000 known species, angiosperms are the most diverse group of plants, and they can be found around the globe in a wide variety of habitats. They are characterized by seeds that grow enclosed in ovaries, which are enclosed in flowers. The floral organs then develop into fruits of myriad kinds and dimensions, from simple seed casings on maples to elaborate fleshy growths like papayas. The oldest flower known from fossils, Montsechia vidalii, appeared during the Jurassic Period 130 million years ago. They are the primary food source for herbivorous animals, which in turn makes them the indirect food source for carnivores as well.
