Comparative study on 3D morphologies of delignified, single tracheids and fibers of five wood species

• Helen Gorges,
• Felicitas von Usslar,
• Cordt Zollfrank,
• Silja Flenner,
• Imke Greving,
• Martin Müller,
• Clemens F. Schaber,
• Chuchu Li and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 239–250, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.16

• wood to withstand high stress. This structural resilience makes wood a versatile material for applications ranging from construction to advanced composites. However, a detailed understanding of how delignification affects softwood tracheid and hardwood fiber morphology is crucial for predicting

• resulted in facilitated separation of fibers and tracheids and frayed wall appearance. We observed similar tracheid/fiber diameters and wall thicknesses for all five wood species. These findings enhance our understanding of the wood fiber and tracheid structures across species and the effects of

• biomechanics and water management. Keywords: 3D models; delignification; tracheid; wood; X-ray nanotomography; Introduction Wood fibers in hardwood and tracheids in softwood play a crucial role in the structure and function of vascular plants, particularly in water conduction and mechanical support [1][2

Humidity-dependent wound sealing in succulent leaves of Delosperma cooperi – An adaptation to seasonal drought stress

• Olga Speck,
• Mark Schlechtendahl,
• Florian Borm,
• Tim Kampowski and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 175–186, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.20

•  2c). Moreover, the net of vascular tissue consists in part of wide-band tracheids, a specialized type of tracheid that prevents cell collapse under (high) drought stress. Wide-band tracheids are short, wide and spindle-shaped and possess pronounced annular or helical cell wall thickenings. They

• consist of an unlignified primary cell wall and a band-like secondary cell wall that project deeply into the cell lumen [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Up to 70% of the cross-section of a tracheid can be filled by these thickenings. Biomechanics Table 2 summarizes the mechanical properties and other

• patterns evolved independently within the families Aizoaceae, Cactaceae and Portulacaceae [8][12]. Wide-band tracheids are often found in seedlings and young plants. They are typically replaced by tracheid types with scalariform and reticulate thickenings, which are more rigid in bending, compression and