A multiscale growth atlas of Arabidopsis: linking cell dynamics to organ development

Plant development depends on coordinated growth at cellular and organ scales, yet comparative analyses are hindered by inconsistent reporting of growth across studies. We conducted a meta‐analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana growth dynamics, integrating data from 176 studies to create the first multiscale atlas of plant growth. We developed a unified mathematical framework to harmonise growth data from diverse organs (shoot apical meristem, root, hypocotyl, and leaf), methodologies, and experimental setups, allowing the conversion and direct comparison of expansion rates at cellular and organ levels. Analyses revealed both organ‐specific and general growth strategies linked to size control. In the meristem, a conserved offset in cell expansion between central and peripheral zones was observed. Root elongation was driven mainly by cell expansion and differentiation in the elongation zone, rather than meristem activity. Hypocotyl and leaf growth showed unexpected parallels: early exponential elongation resembled primary morphogenesis, while later linear growth matched secondary morphogenesis. Comparing dark‐ vs light‐grown hypocotyls and juvenile vs transition leaves showed that organ size was modulated by a trade‐off between growth rate and duration of the scaling phase. Cellular‐scale growth during early development was shown to influence final organ size, underscoring the need for early‐stage measurements. This growth atlas provides benchmark values and a reference framework for interpreting mutant phenotypes, guiding experimental design, and advancing our understanding of growth regulation across plant organs.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  New Phytologist

• Publication date

  2025-11-09

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1111/nph.70576PMID 41207613PMCID 12676101
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• The determination of leaf size on the basis of developmental traits.

  2025cited by this paper
• Cell growth rates coordinate across the width of the leaf to remain flat

  2025cited by this paper
• Two orthogonal differentiation gradients locally coordinate fruit morphogenesis

  2024cited by this paper
• The Human Cell Atlas from a cell census to a unified foundation model

  2024cited by this paper
• A quantitative gibberellin signaling biosensor reveals a role for gibberellins in internode specification at the shoot apical meristem

  2024cited by this paper
• Cell-cycle-linked growth reprogramming encodes developmental time into leaf morphogenesis.

  2024cited by this paper
• Modulation of cell differentiation and growth underlies the shift from bud protection to light capture in cauline leaves

  2024cited by this paper
• Precocious cell differentiation occurs in proliferating cells in leaf primordia in Arabidopsis angustifolia3 mutant.

  2024cited by this paper
• Anisotropic cell growth at the leaf base promotes age-related changes in leaf shape in Arabidopsis thaliana.

  2023cited by this paper
• In-Depth Quantification of Cell Division and Elongation Dynamics at the Tip of Growing Arabidopsis Roots Using 4D Microscopy, AI-Assisted Image Processing and Data Sonification

  2023cited by this paper
• Coordinate Normalization of Live-Cell Imaging Data Reveals Growth Dynamics of the Arabidopsis Zygote.

  2023cited by this paper
• Light and temperature regulation of leaf morphogenesis in Arabidopsis.

  2023cited by this paper
• MetaPhenomics: quantifying the many ways plants respond to their abiotic environment, using light intensity as an example

  2022cited by this paper
• Cell type-specific dynamics underlie cellular growth variability in plants.

  2022cited by this paper
• Shank-localized cell wall growth contributes to Arabidopsis root hair elongation

  2022cited by this paper
• Topological properties accurately predict cell division events and organization of shoot apical meristem in Arabidopsis thaliana

  2022cited by this paper
• Effects of weak static magnetic fields on the development of seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana

  2022cited by this paper
• SCARECROW-LIKE28 modulates organ growth in Arabidopsis by controlling mitotic cell cycle exit, endoreplication and cell expansion dynamics.

  2022cited by this paper
• Specification of leaf dorsiventrality via a prepatterned binary readout of a uniform auxin input

  2022cited by this paper
• The Arabidopsis GRAS-type SCL28 transcription factor controls the mitotic cell cycle and division plane orientation

  2021cited by this paper
• Live Plant Cell Tracking: Fiji plugin to analyze cell proliferation dynamics and understand morphogenesis.

  2021cited by this paper
• Modulation of plant root growth by nitrogen source‐defined regulation of polar auxin transport

  2021cited by this paper
• OUP accepted manuscript

  2021cited by this paper
• Integrative Roles of Phytohormones on Cell Proliferation, Elongation and Differentiation in the Arabidopsis thaliana Primary Root

  2021cited by this paper
• Locally restricted glucose availability in the embryonic hypocotyl determines seed germination under ABA treatment

  2021cited by this paper
• Plant growth: the What, the How, and the Why.

  2021cited by this paper
• Live-imaging provides an atlas of cellular growth dynamics in the stamen.

  2021cited by this paper
• Stable establishment of organ polarity occurs several plastochrons before primordium outgrowth in Arabidopsis

  2021influential reference
• Cell size controlled in plants using DNA content as an internal scale

  2021cited by this paper
• Logistic Models for Simulating the Growth of Plants by Defining the Maximum Plant Size as the Limit of Information Flow

  2020cited by this paper
• Durotropic Growth of Pollen Tubes1[OPEN]

  2020cited by this paper
• Two decades of functional-structural plant modelling: now addressing fundamental questions in systems biology and predictive ecology.

  2020cited by this paper
• The Tip-Localized Phosphatidylserine Established by Arabidopsis ALA3 Is Crucial for Rab GTPase-Mediated Vesicle Trafficking and Pollen Tube Growth

  2020cited by this paper
• Regulation of shoot meristem shape by photoperiodic signaling and phytohormones during floral induction of Arabidopsis

  2020cited by this paper
• Recurrent requirement for the m6A-ECT2/ECT3/ECT4 axis in the control of cell proliferation during plant organogenesis

  2020cited by this paper
• A WOX/Auxin Biosynthesis Module Controls Growth to Shape Leaf Form.

  2020cited by this paper
• An RNA thermoswitch regulates daytime growth in Arabidopsis

  2020cited by this paper
• The Proline-rich Family Protein EXTENSIN33 Is Required For Etiolated Arabidopsis thaliana Hypocotyl Growth.

  2020cited by this paper
• Lonely at the top? Regulation of shoot apical meristem activity by intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

  2020cited by this paper
• Fluorescence visualization of cellulose and pectin in the primary plant cell wall

  2020cited by this paper
• A role for diacylglycerol kinase 4 in signalling crosstalk during Arabidopsis pollen tube growth.

  2019cited by this paper
• Cellulose synthase interactive1- and microtubule-dependent cell wall architecture is required for acid growth in Arabidopsis hypocotyls

  2019cited by this paper
• Multiple steps of leaf thickening during sun‐leaf formation in Arabidopsis

  2019cited by this paper
• Auxin promotion of seedling growth via ARF5 is dependent on the brassinosteroid‐regulated transcription factors BES1 and BEH4

  2019cited by this paper
• Global Topological Order Emerges through Local Mechanical Control of Cell Divisions in the Arabidopsis Shoot Apical Meristem

  2019cited by this paper
• Root stem cell niche maintenance and apical meristem activity critically depend on THREONINE SYNTHASE1.

  2019cited by this paper
• Growth and biomechanics of shoot organs.

  2019cited by this paper
• A meta-analysis of plant responses to light intensity for 70 traits ranging from molecules to whole plant performance.

  2019cited by this paper
• The CIN-TCP transcription factors promote commitment to differentiation in Arabidopsis leaf pavement cells via both auxin-dependent and independent pathways

  2019cited by this paper
• Thermomorphogenesis.

  2019cited by this paper
• Nitrate acts at the Arabidopsis thaliana shoot apical meristem to regulate flowering time

  2019cited by this paper
• A Growth-Based Framework for Leaf Shape Development and Diversity

  2019cited by this paper
• UVR8 interacts with WRKY36 to regulate HY5 transcription and hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis

  2018cited by this paper
• Robust increase of leaf size by Arabidopsis thaliana GRF3-like transcription factors under different growth conditions

  2018cited by this paper
• Anisotropic growth is achieved through the additive mechanical effect of material anisotropy and elastic asymmetry

  2018cited by this paper
• Changes in resource partitioning between and within organs support growth adjustment to neighbor proximity in Brassicaceae seedlings

  2018cited by this paper
• LMI1 homeodomain protein regulates organ proportions by spatial modulation of endoreduplication

  2018cited by this paper
• Rapid and reversible root growth inhibition by TIR1 auxin signalling

  2018cited by this paper
• Spatiotemporal coordination of cell division and growth during organ morphogenesis

  2018cited by this paper
• ORESARA15, a PLATZ transcription factor, mediates leaf growth and senescence in Arabidopsis.

  2018cited by this paper
• Arabidopsis pollen extensins LRX are required for cell wall integrity during pollen tube growth

  2018cited by this paper
• The Circadian Clock Sets the Time of DNA Replication Licensing to Regulate Growth in Arabidopsis.

  2018cited by this paper
• Glucose Uptake via STP Transporters Inhibits in Vitro Pollen Tube Growth in a HEXOKINASE1-Dependent Manner in Arabidopsis thaliana

  2018cited by this paper
• Arabidopsis class I formins control membrane-originated actin polymerization at pollen tube tips

  2018cited by this paper
• Multiple mechanisms explain how reduced KRP expression increases leaf size of Arabidopsis thaliana.

  2018cited by this paper
• LRX Proteins Play a Crucial Role in Pollen Grain and Pollen Tube Cell Wall Development1[OPEN]

  2017cited by this paper
• DELLA genes restrict inflorescence meristem function independently of plant height

  2017cited by this paper
• Etiolated Seedling Development Requires Repression of Photomorphogenesis by a Small Cell-Wall-Derived Dark Signal.

  2017cited by this paper
• Oscillatory signatures underlie growth regimes in Arabidopsis pollen tubes: computational methods to estimate tip location, periodicity, and synchronization in growing cells

  2017cited by this paper
• Gradients in Wall Mechanics and Polysaccharides along Growing Inflorescence Stems1[OPEN]

  2017cited by this paper
• Temperature-compensated cell production rate and elongation zone length in the root of Arabidopsis thaliana.

  2017cited by this paper
• Alteration in Auxin Homeostasis and Signaling by Overexpression Of PINOID Kinase Causes Leaf Growth Defects in Arabidopsis thaliana

  2017cited by this paper
• Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Root Hair Tip Growth: A Comparison with Pollen Tubes

  2017cited by this paper
• F-Box Protein FBX92 Affects Leaf Size in Arabidopsis thaliana

  2017cited by this paper
• EXO70C2 Is a Key Regulatory Factor for Optimal Tip Growth of Pollen1

  2017cited by this paper
• Rapid in situ 13C tracing of sucrose utilization in Arabidopsis sink and source leaves

  2017cited by this paper
• Cell-size dependent progression of the cell cycle creates homeostasis and flexibility of plant cell size

  2017cited by this paper
• Phyllotaxis.

  2017cited by this paper
• High Concentration of Melatonin Regulates Leaf Development by Suppressing Cell Proliferation and Endoreduplication in Arabidopsis

  2017cited by this paper
• Seasonal Regulation of Petal Number1[OPEN]

  2017cited by this paper
• What determines organ size differences between species? A meta-analysis of the cellular basis.

  2017cited by this paper
• Exocytosis-coordinated mechanisms for tip growth underlie pollen tube growth guidance

  2017cited by this paper
• Framework for gradual progression of cell ontogeny in the Arabidopsis root meristem

  2017cited by this paper
• An oligogalacturonide‐derived molecular probe demonstrates the dynamics of calcium‐mediated pectin complexation in cell walls of tip‐growing structures

  2017cited by this paper
• A unique approach to demonstrating that apical bud temperature specifically determines leaf initiation rate in the dicot Cucumis sativus

  2016cited by this paper
• Longitudinal zonation pattern in Arabidopsis root tip defined by a multiple structural change algorithm.

  2016cited by this paper
• Arabidopsis FIM5 decorates apical actin filaments and regulates their organization in the pollen tube

  2016cited by this paper
• Light-Mediated Hormonal Regulation of Plant Growth and Development.

  2016cited by this paper
• A Mechanical Feedback Restricts Sepal Growth and Shape in Arabidopsis.

  2016cited by this paper
• Cell division plane orientation based on tensile stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

  2016cited by this paper
• Low Temperature Affects Stem Cell Maintenance in Brassica oleracea Seedlings

  2016cited by this paper
• How can we make plants grow faster? A source-sink perspective on growth rate.

  2016cited by this paper
• Patterns of Stem Cell Divisions Contribute to Plant Longevity.

  2016cited by this paper
• Regulation of Meristem Morphogenesis by Cell Wall Synthases in Arabidopsis.

  2016cited by this paper
• Xyloglucan deficiency disrupts microtubule stability and cellulose biosynthesis in 16 Arabidopsis, altering cell growth and morphogenesis

  2015cited by this paper
• MorphoGraphX: A platform for quantifying morphogenesis in 4D

  2015cited by this paper
• A Journey Through a Leaf: Phenomics Analysis of Leaf Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

  2015cited by this paper
• Temporal Control of Plant Organ Growth by TCP Transcription Factors.

  2015cited by this paper
• The relationship between leaf area growth and biomass accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana

  2015cited by this paper
• A Repressor Protein Complex Regulates Leaf Growth in Arabidopsis

  2015cited by this paper

• No citing papers are available for this paper.