GrowBot First Call for Ideas

In situ growth dynamics of vines and lianas in the forest canopy - The core element of the GrowBot project is to understand how climbing plants climb and integrate this knowledge into a new generation of climbing artefacts. However, very few studies actually document just how climbing vines and lianas behave in the forest canopy. We are therefore very interested to know just how diverse climbing plants actually behave in and on the forest canopy. This topic addresses issues relating to the development of new tools and methodologies for the observation of the growth dynamics of lianas in the forest canopy. Currently, the traditional approaches include pictures or film taken from ground or air. The main drawbacks are related to the difficulty of access, resolution of features, visualizing amid stem and leaf clutter, limited ranges of studied canopies and expense of observing more than a few locations using canopy rafts, cranes or climbers. Candidates should address these issues by considering all potential options and methods; improvements over current approaches are strongly encouraged. Suggestions of new or unconventional approaches which will be more than welcome.