Living structures constantly interact with the biotic and abiotic environment by sensing and responding via specialized functional parts. In other words, biological bodies embody highly functional machines and actuators. What are the signatures of engineering mechanisms in biology? In this review, we connect the dots in the literature to seek engineering principles in plant structures. We identify three thematic motifs—bilayer actuator, slender-bodied functional surface, and self-similarity—and provide an overview of their structure–function relationships. Unlike human-engineered machines and actuators, biological counterparts may appear suboptimal in design, loosely complying with physical theories or engineering principles. We postulate what factors may influence the evolution of functional morphology and anatomy to dissect and comprehend better the why behind the biological forms.

中文翻译：

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植物形态和功能中的工程主题

生命结构通过专门的功能部件进行感知和响应，不断与生物和非生物环境相互作用。换句话说，生物体体现了功能强大的机器和执行器。生物学中工程机制的特征是什么？在这篇综述中，我们将文献中的各个点联系起来，以寻求植物结构中的工程原理。我们确定了三个主题主题——双层执行器、细长功能表面和自相似性——并概述了它们的结构-功能关系。与人类工程机器和执行器不同，生物机器和执行器在设计上可能显得次优，不严格遵守物理理论或工程原理。我们假设哪些因素可能影响功能形态和解剖学的进化，以更好地剖析和理解生物形式背后的原因。