Roots do not branch at random. Yu Bao and colleagues showed that a root in contact with moisture on one side places its lateral branches on that side and suppresses them on the dry side, a behavior the lab named hydropatterning. The response is set locally, through auxin biosynthesis and transport, and operates independently of the general stress signaling triggered by water deficit. It occurs in soil as well as in the laboratory, and in grasses as well as Arabidopsis, indicating a broadly conserved mechanism for placing roots where water is.
Coverage: Carnegie Science
Bao Y, Aggarwal P, Robbins NE II, Sturrock CJ, Thompson MC, Tan HQ, Tham C, Rodriguez PL, Vernoux T, Mooney SJ, Bennett MJ, Dinneny JR (2014) Plant roots employ a patterning mechanism to position lateral root branches toward available water. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 111(25):9319-9324. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1400966111
Dinneny lab 