Project Grant 2203275

This $171,697 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program aims to advance understanding of biophysical mechanisms that generate reproducible organ shapes during development. Specifically, the grant supports research by Cornell University and partners in France to elucidate how plant leaves maintain flatness as they grow. The collaborative project titled "The Biophysical Basis of Flat Organ Morphogenesis from Fluctuating Cellular Growth" will test the hypothesis that heterogeneity in growth between neighboring leaf cells allows for sensing of curvature variations and correction to maintain flatness during expansion. Through March 2025, the work will characterize relationships between cell-to-cell growth differences, mechanics, and leaf shape using mutant plants. It will also develop theoretical models of thin active growing sheets and characterize combinatorial regulation of flatness through model-data integration. Findings seek to provide new insights into mechanical interactions controlling leaf morphology, with implications for traits like light interception critical to photosynthesis.