Zheng, Xingyu (August 2025) Statistical Analysis and Modeling of Networks in Natural Systems– A Case Study on Voronoi Leaf Vein Formation. PhD thesis, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
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Abstract
Reticulate leaf venation, characterized by the presence of loops, is a distinguishing feature of many flowering plants. However, our understanding of both the geometry and the morphogenesis of reticulate vein patterns is far from complete. We show that in the Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides), major veins form an approximate Voronoi diagram surrounding secretory pores known as hydathodes. We also propose a mechanistic model based on polar transport of the plant hormone auxin to produce Voronoi patterns. In contrast with classical models where veins directly connect auxin sources to sinks, our model generates veins that bisect the space between adjacent auxin sources, collectively forming loops. The paradigm change offered by this model may open the door to study reticulate vein formation in other species.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | bioinformatics organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions organism description > plant organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions |
| CSHL Authors: | |
| Communities: | CSHL labs > Navlakha lab School of Biological Sciences > Theses |
| Depositing User: | Kathleen McGuire |
| Date: | 15 August 2025 |
| Date Deposited: | 31 Mar 2026 16:08 |
| Last Modified: | 31 Mar 2026 16:08 |
| URI: | https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/42138 |
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