Oxford Events, the new replacement for OxTalks, will launch on 16th March. The two-week OxTalks freeze period starts on Monday 2nd March. During this time, there will be no facility to publish or edit events. The existing OxTalks site will remain available to view during this period. Once Oxford Events launches, you will need a Halo login to submit events. Full details are available on the Staff Gateway.
The puzzle-shaped cells that appear in the epidermis of many plants are a striking example of a complex cell shape. Since shape in an organism is often thought to be closely related to its function, it suggests that these unusual shapes must have some functional benefit to the plant. We propose that the creation of these complex shapes is an effective
strategy to reduce mechanical stress in the cell wall. Although the formation of these shapes requires highly anisotropic and non-uniform
growth at the sub-cellular level, it appears to be triggered by isotropic growth at the organ level. Analysis of cell shape over
multiple species is consistent with the idea that the puzzle is in response to a developmental constraint, and that the mechanism is like
to be conserved among higher plants.
