Biological adhesion of Parthenocissus tricuspidata

Abstract

Parthenocissus tricuspidata is a climbing plant of the grape family. It can climb with its adhesive discs on different substrates such as stone mountains, roadside stone banks, exterior walls of buildings, thereby withstanding strong winds and storms without detachment. The details about the adhesion process of Parthenocissus tricuspidata are not yet entirely understood. We studied the component-structure-property relationship of the adhesive discs in detail and propose a twostage model to describe the biological adhesion: (i) structural contact and (ii) adhesive action. These two stages and their variations play an important role for the attaching of the adhesive disc to different structural surfaces. We believe that in Parthenocissus tricuspidata different mechanisms work together to allow the adhesive disc to climb on various vertical substrates and reveal strong adhesive properties.