Cellulose
A complex carbohydrate that forms the primary structural component of plant cell walls. The most abundant organic compound on Earth.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 6 chapters:
"The narrower the tube, the higher the climb. The mechanism: - Water molecules adhere to xylem walls (hydrogen bonding to cellulose) - Water molecules cohere to each other (hydrogen bonding) - Result: Water "climbs" narrow tubes spontaneously (no evaporation required) **Capillary..."
"Pandas are morphologically and behaviorally specialized for bamboo (pseudo-thumb for gripping stalks, gut microbiome for digesting cellulose, seasonal reproduction timed to bamboo growth). If bamboo forests are destroyed or bamboo species undergo mass die-offs (which happen periodically - ..."
"...onstruction materials as alternatives to steel and concrete. It's producing biochemicals and biofuels from forest biomass. And it's creating advanced cellulose-based materials for textiles, electronics, and other applications. This succession is not complete and its outcome uncertain."
"Fungi - some already present as internal infections that weakened the tree, others arriving as airborne spores - begin decomposing the cellulose and lignin that comprise wood structure. Moss and liverworts colonize the moist bark surface. Salamanders and insects take shelter beneath the log. ..."
"... fungus with fresh plant material and protect it from pathogens and competitors; the fungus provides ants with nutrients (including enzymes to digest cellulose that ants cannot). Neither can survive without the other - fungal species exist only in ant colonies, and ants depend entirely on fungus for nutritio..."
And 1 more chapter...
Biological Context
Cellulose gives plants their rigidity and structure. Most animals cannot digest cellulose (lacking the necessary enzymes), though some bacteria and fungi can. Ruminants like cows digest cellulose through symbiotic gut bacteria. Paper, cotton, and wood are largely cellulose.
Business Application
Organizational cellulose: the structural policies, processes, and documentation that give organizations their shape. Like plant cellulose, it provides rigidity but isn't easily digestible or changeable.