{"id":2638,"date":"2023-05-20T11:00:25","date_gmt":"2023-05-20T10:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/?p=2638"},"modified":"2026-10-19T22:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T21:01:32","slug":"biophysics-of-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/2023\/05\/20\/biophysics-of-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"Biophysics of Plants"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2638\" class=\"elementor elementor-2638\" data-elementor-settings=\"[]\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-973a61e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"973a61e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5449b9af\" data-id=\"5449b9af\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-68858a9e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"68858a9e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.5.5 - 03-02-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#818a91;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#818a91;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\n<div style=\"font-family:inherit; color:#43545A; line-height:1.7;\">\n\n  <!-- INTRODUCTION -->\n  <p style=\"font-size:19px; line-height:1.7; margin:0 0 18px 0;\">\n    Plants are far more dynamic than they appear. Beyond growing towards sunlight, they continuously rearrange the tiny structures inside their cells to adapt to changing light conditions. These movements reveal a fascinating connection between <strong style=\"color:#344A52; font-weight:600;\">plant biology and the physics of active matter.<\/strong>\n  <\/p>\n\n  <p style=\"font-size:19px; line-height:1.7; margin:0 0 28px 0;\">\n    We study how chloroplasts, the photosynthetic organelles inside plant cells, collectively organise themselves to capture light or avoid excessive exposure. Surprisingly, their movements resemble the behaviour of glassy materials, revealing how living systems can switch between different physical states.\n  <\/p>\n\n  <!-- LIGHT RESPONSE COMPARISON -->\n  <div style=\"background:#F2F7F8; border-radius:14px; padding:24px; margin:28px 0 34px 0;\">\n\n    <div style=\"font-size:12px; font-weight:700; letter-spacing:1.3px; text-transform:uppercase; color:#10708A; margin-bottom:16px;\">\n      The Physics of Light Adaptation\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #D7E4E8; padding-bottom:17px; margin-bottom:17px;\">\n      <div style=\"font-size:18px; font-weight:600; color:#304750; margin-bottom:6px;\">\n        \u2600 &nbsp; Under dim light\n      <\/div>\n      <p style=\"font-size:16px; line-height:1.65; margin:0;\">\n        Chloroplasts spread into a densely packed layer to maximise light absorption. Their collective motion slows dramatically, resembling a glass-like state with occasional bursts of movement.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div>\n      <div style=\"font-size:18px; font-weight:600; color:#304750; margin-bottom:6px;\">\n        \u2600 &nbsp; Under intense light\n      <\/div>\n      <p style=\"font-size:16px; line-height:1.65; margin:0;\">\n        The chloroplasts become more mobile and rearrange to reduce light exposure. This rapid transition resembles the melting of a glass into a more fluid-like state.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- RESEARCH INSIGHT -->\n  <div style=\"border-left:3px solid #10708A; padding:3px 0 3px 20px; margin:0 0 36px 0;\">\n    <div style=\"font-size:12px; font-weight:700; letter-spacing:1.2px; text-transform:uppercase; color:#10708A; margin-bottom:7px;\">\n      Beyond Plant Biology\n    <\/div>\n    <p style=\"font-size:17px; line-height:1.65; margin:0;\">\n      By combining microscopy, particle tracking, and mathematical modelling, we uncover how collective organisation enables cells to respond to their environment. These findings offer new insights into active materials, glass transitions, and biological self-organisation.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- PUBLICATIONS -->\n  <div style=\"border-top:1px solid #DFE8EA; padding-top:26px;\">\n\n    <h3 style=\"font-size:23px; font-weight:650; color:#243E47; margin:0 0 7px 0;\">\n      Research Highlights\n    <\/h3>\n\n    <p style=\"font-size:16px; color:#667A80; margin:0 0 23px 0;\">\n      Exploring how living cells reorganise their internal structure in response to light.\n    <\/p>\n\n    <!-- PAPER 1 -->\n    <div style=\"padding:0 0 21px 0; margin-bottom:21px; border-bottom:1px solid #E3EBED;\">\n\n      <div style=\"font-size:12px; font-weight:700; letter-spacing:1px; color:#10708A; margin-bottom:8px;\">\n        ACTIVE GLASSY DYNAMICS &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp; 2023\n      <\/div>\n\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2216497120\"\n         target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n         style=\"font-size:19px; font-weight:600; line-height:1.45; color:#10708A; text-decoration:none;\">\n        Chloroplasts in plant cells show active glassy behavior under low-light conditions &nearr;\n      <\/a>\n\n      <p style=\"font-size:14px; color:#74868B; margin:7px 0 10px 0;\">\n        N. Schramma, C. Perugachi Isra\u00ebls &amp; M. Jalaal &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp; <em>PNAS<\/em>\n      <\/p>\n\n      <p style=\"font-size:16px; line-height:1.65; margin:0;\">\n        Revealing how chloroplasts form glass-like arrangements under dim light and transition towards a more mobile state when light intensity increases.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- PAPER 2 -->\n    <div style=\"padding:0 0 4px 0;\">\n\n      <div style=\"font-size:12px; font-weight:700; letter-spacing:1px; color:#10708A; margin-bottom:8px;\">\n        CELLULAR MORPHODYNAMICS &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp; 2024\n      <\/div>\n\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2411725121\"\n         target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n         style=\"font-size:19px; font-weight:600; line-height:1.45; color:#10708A; text-decoration:none;\">\n        Light-regulated chloroplast morphodynamics in a single-celled dinoflagellate &nearr;\n      <\/a>\n\n      <p style=\"font-size:14px; color:#74868B; margin:7px 0 10px 0;\">\n        N. Schramma, G. Casas Canales &amp; M. Jalaal &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp; <em>PNAS<\/em>\n      <\/p>\n\n      <p style=\"font-size:16px; line-height:1.65; margin:0;\">\n        Discovering how a single-celled organism reshapes its chloroplast network to respond to changing light, revealing a remarkable mechanism of cellular adaptation.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- MEDIA COVERAGE -->\n  <div style=\"background:#F2F7F8; border-radius:10px; padding:18px 22px; margin:32px 0 22px 0;\">\n\n    <div style=\"font-size:12px; font-weight:700; letter-spacing:1.2px; text-transform:uppercase; color:#10708A; margin-bottom:8px;\">\n      In the News\n    <\/div>\n\n    <p style=\"font-size:16px; margin:0; line-height:1.65;\">\n      Discover how this research attracted attention beyond academia:\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/plant-cell-parts-turn-into-glass-to-soak-up-sun\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#10708A; font-weight:600; text-decoration:none;\">Scientific American &nearr;<\/a>\n      &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp;\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2023-01-glassy-reactive-dynamic.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#10708A; font-weight:600; text-decoration:none;\">Phys.org &nearr;<\/a>\n    <\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- CONTACT -->\n  <p style=\"font-size:15px; color:#667A80; border-top:1px solid #DFE8EA; padding-top:18px; margin:0;\">\n    <strong style=\"color:#344A52;\">Research contact:<\/strong>\n    Maziyar Jalaal &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp;\n    <a href=\"mailto:m.jalaal@uva.nl\" style=\"color:#10708A; text-decoration:none;\">\n      m.jalaal@uva.nl &nearr;\n    <\/a>\n    &nbsp;\u00b7&nbsp;\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluidlab.nl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"color:#10708A; text-decoration:none;\">\n      Fluidlab &nearr;\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We study biophysical principles of plants: from collective dynamics to ecology<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2638"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5064,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638\/revisions\/5064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iop.fnwi.uva.nl\/scm\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}