adhesion

Examples of adhesion in the following topics:

• Water’s Cohesive and Adhesive Properties

  • Cohesion allows substances to withstand rupture when placed under stress while adhesion is the attraction between water and other molecules.
  • This type of adhesion is called capillary action .
  • Why are cohesive and adhesive forces important for life?
  • Cohesive and adhesive forces are important for the transport of water from the roots to the leaves in plants.
  • Water's cohesive and adhesive properties allow this water strider (Gerris sp.) to stay afloat.

• Waxes

  • Millions of of these waxes are produced annually, and they are used in adhesives, cosmetics, sealants and lubricants, insecticides, and UV protection.

• Cellular Differentiation

  • A pathway that is guided by the cell adhesion molecules is created as the cellular blastomere differentiates from the single-layered blastula to the three primary layers of germ cells in mammals, namely the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm (listed from most distal, or exterior, to the most proximal, or interior).

• Pressure, Gravity, and Matric Potential

  • Every plant cell has a cellulosic cell wall, which is hydrophilic and provides a matrix for water adhesion, hence the name matric potential.

• Movement of Water and Minerals in the Xylem

  • At night, when stomata close and transpiration stops, the water is held in the stem and leaf by the cohesion of water molecules to each other as well as the adhesion of water to the cell walls of the xylem vessels and tracheids.