Matrix Produces Strong Structural Materials

bunches of green and beige drying flax stems bundled together

Biological Strategy

Cultivated flax

AskNature Team

Image: John Lord / Flickr / CC BY - Creative Commons Attribution alone

Manage Tension

When a living system is under tension, it means there is a force pulling on it, like a person pulling on a rope tied to a horse. When applied to a living system, unless the system is completely rigid, the result is that it gets stretched. If stretching exceeds the strength of the living system’s material, it can damage it. Living systems manage tension using materials that are flexible and stretchable enough to survive most tension that occurs in their environment. The ocean’s intertidal zone offers a good example. The waves and incoming and outgoing tides put tension on soft-bodied organisms. Mussels resist tension with flexible threads that hold them onto rocks; in contrast, large algae have stretchy fronds.

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Chemically Assemble Polymers

We might think that complex polymers are the result of human industrial ingenuity, but nature cornered the market on polymers billions of years earlier. Examples of biopolymers are proteins, carbohydrates, and genetic material. In contrast to human industrial processes, within a cell, ribosomes covalently bond amino acids together to form proteins.

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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.

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Fibers produced by the flax plant provide strength by being extensively cross-linked composites of cellulose, pectin, and protein in a long, tube-like architecture.

Flax fiber has been used for millenia throughout the world for the production of linen textile. Its strength and desirable properties are a result of its microscopic structure and chemistry. Flax fibers are relatively long, tube-like composites (up to about 5 cm, or 2 inches) of supplemented by pectin and other polysaccharides, lined up in the direction of the tube, surrounded by concentric layers of cells forming a super-strong secondary wall. Extensive cross-linking, aided by the presence of several types of s, binds all the components into an intricate matrix.

Image: Ryan R. McKenzie /

Stem cross-section, showing locations of underlying tissues. Ep = epidermis; C = cortex; BF = bast fibers; P = phloem; X = xylem; Pi = pith

Image: Kreta /

Last Updated September 14, 2016

References

Journal article

Building flax fibres: more than one brick in the walls

Journal article

Engineering flax and hemp for an alternative to cotton

Trends in Biotechnology | 26/07/2002 | Michel J.M Ebskamp

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Reference

Other Biological Strategies

Biological Strategy

Two-Phase Composite Tissues Handle Tension

Dutchman's pipe

Plant tissues resist pulling forces using layers of tiny cellulose fibers embedded in a mix of flexible and strong materials.

a large black spider with small white spots sits on its web against a green background

Biological Strategy

Granules Anchor Adhesive Proteins on Webs

Spiders

Glue droplets on orb-weaver spider webs resist slippage through adhesion, elongation under load, and force transfer due to granules.

black and white x ray of a broken human clavicle

Biological Strategy

Bones Heal Themselves

Vertebrates (Mammals, Fish, Birds, Reptiles)

Bones maintain skeletal homeostasis by balancing the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

cherry leaf roller caterpillar rolling a leaf

Biological Strategy

Caterpillars Reshape Leaves With Silk

Cherry leaf roller

Caterpillars use stitches made with contracting silk threads to roll leaves into a tube-shaped shelter

Biological Strategy

Salt and Squeezing Turn Liquid to Spider Silk

Spiders

Spiders turn liquid into a strong, stretchy fiber by squeezing it through a small space that helps protein molecules to connect with each other.

close up black and white photograph of an elephant trunk

Biological Strategy

How Elephant Trunks Twist and Twirl

Elephants

Three muscle fiber patterns inside trunks work together to provide the strength, support, and resistance needed to bend and twist with extreme agility.