Morphogenetic processes: from leaves to embryos

Abstract

The present manuscript is devoted to two works related to the spontaneous formation of patterns in Nature: venation in leaves and evolution of embryos. Morphogenetic processes and growth-induced instability phenomena are modelled through analogue experiments. The organization of veins in leaves is similar to what is expected from growth in a tensorial stress field that governs the formation of fractures, while the change in the shape of embryos is related to the deformation of a shell-like membrane whose properties evolve with time. The approaches resulting from analogue experiments is a way to explore specific properties of the media at a macroscopic scale. Thus the manuscript aims to focus on the analogue experiments, their adaptability to reproduce specific patterns and the relation between both growth-induced instability and mechanical behaviour of the matter.