Wilhelm Hofmeister revisited: Meristematic surfaces channel information flows in organogenesis

Abstract Plant development relies not only on intracellular biochemical signals but also on physical information that is transmitted across cells and tissues. In growing plant organs, surface geometry and mechanics can act together to channel stress and strain signals beyond the single cell, effectively creating trans-cellular communication pathways that are robust, accurate and instantaneous. It follows that meristematic surfaces act as stress-mechanical waveguides to constrain and redirect internal stress fields. The orientation and patterning of these stress fields correlates with the placement of new cell walls during cell division, thereby linking surface geometry to tissue histogenesis. Here, I consider how meristem surfaces may contribute to developmental signaling via mechanical force transmission. I argue that surface curvature and tissue biomechanics can form a self-sustaining feedback loop: together, they shape force transmission trajectories, which in turn guide the fundamental decision-making processes that determine cell plate orientation during cytokinesis, thus altering organ shape.