How water flow, geometry and material properties drive plant movements

Plants are dynamic. They adjust their shape for feeding, defence and reproduction. Such plant movements are critical for their survival. We present selected examples covering a range of movements from single cell to tissue level and over a range of timescales. We focus on reversible turgor-driven shape changes. Recent insights into the mechanisms of stomata, bladderwort, the waterwheel and the Venus flytrap are presented. The underlying physical principles (turgor, osmosis, membrane permeability, wall stress, snap buckling, elastic instability) are highlighted and advances in our understanding of these processes are summarised.