Cell wall elastic properties of Chara corallina

Abstract
Transcellular osmosis measurements are combined with measurements of the kinetics of relative length change, when C. corallina cells are transferred from artificial pond water to polyethylene glycol (MW 300-400) of higher osmotic pressure to yield the constant k, which relates relative volume changes .DELTA.V/V to relative length change .DELTA.l/l (.DELTA.V/V = k.DELTA.l/l). The value of k is 3.5 and is temperature independent between 7 and 30.degree. C. Static and kinetic estimates of the bulk modulus, .epsilon., indicate that .epsilon. is temperature independent and has a value between 500-650 bars at high turgor pressures. The value of .epsilon. declines as the turgor pressure declines. It is shown how .epsilon. and k are related to Young''s modulus and to Poisson''s ratio for anisotropic C. corallina cell walls and point out that the previous treatments of the problem are in error.
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