Fig 7. Cavitation catapult mechanism in Zygophalia jamaicensis.

(A) Conidiophore of Z. jamaicensis with two divergent conidia at its apex. (B) S-shaped compression of the conidiophore by drying. (C) When a critical negative pressure (compared to ambient) is reached, the sudden appearance of the gas bubble in the conidiophore releases the stored elastic energy in the cell walls and discharges the conidia from the sporogenous cells. (D) Conidiophore after discharge. Drawings based on schematic drawings in [61]. Scale bar 25 μm.