2D Roots Seeking Water

"[This animation] shows a two-dimensional model of a root seeking water in the soil during its development. The initial water distribution has been predetermined, forming an S-shaped zone of high concentration indicated by the light colour. The growing tips of the main root and rootlets absorb water that diffuses in the soil. The decreased water concentration is indicated by dark areas that emerge around the root system. In areas with insufficient water concentration the rootlets cease to grow before they have reached their potential full length."

excerpted from "Visual models of morphogenesis: A guided tour" by Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz, Mark Hammel, and Radomir Mech, University of Calgary, 1997.

Last updated: Jim Hanan, 25 February 1999.