Modeling plant development and diversity 

In the current era of big data, why do we still lack a complete molecular and physical understanding of how cells form tissues and develop into organisms? A simple answer is complexity across scales. Morphology is determined by a cascade of processes that take place at different scales of biological organization, and yield the final form through complex feedback loops of gene action, tissue growth and mechanics. Computational techniques are valuable to organize such data into mechanistic explanations. We describe two predictive, multi-scale studies of plant development and diversity.