Figure 5.

Elastic anisotropy dictates the decay of displacements in fibrous networks. (A) A schematic illustration of the transformation from bulk to cell contraction simulations: if two different networks (both isotropic at the undeformed state) are composed of similar fiber properties and have the same NOP, they are assumed to be in the same mechanical state, i.e., have the same elastic anisotropy E₂/E₁. (B) The near-field power-law exponent n for the decay of displacements is plotted as a function of the square root of the network anisotropy$\sqrt{{\text{E}}_2/{\text{E}}_1}$. We found n ∝ $\sqrt{{\text{E}}_2/{\text{E}}_1}$ which is consistent with the theoretical prediction for an anisotropic continuum material. Error bars are standard deviations over five network realizations. To see this figure in color, go online.