A network-based model of guard cell signaling in plants, created by physicist Reka Albert in collaboration with plant physiologist Sarah Assmann. Drought conditions cause plants to produce the hormone abscisic acid (ABA, top), which triggers guard cells to close leaf pores (bottom), conserving water. The color of the nodes represents their function: enzymes are shown in red, signal transducstion proteins are green, membrane transport-related nodes are blue, and secondary messengers and small molecules are orange.

Courtesy Reka Albert

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