▁turn over ▁patterns ▁in ▁the ▁foss il ▁record . ▁ ▁Nik las ▁is ▁also ▁the ▁only ▁person ▁to ▁construct ▁a ▁computer ▁generated ▁morph os pace ▁for ▁early ▁land ▁plants ▁to ▁quant ify ▁how ▁each ▁sim ulated ▁plant ▁intercept s ▁sun light , ▁cop es ▁with ▁mechanical ▁forces , ▁conduct s ▁flu ids , ▁and ▁sh eds ▁re product ive ▁propag ules . ▁ ▁Using ▁a ▁search ▁algorithm , ▁he ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁simulate ▁patterns ▁of ▁morph ological ▁change ▁that ▁m im icked ▁in ▁all ▁respect s ▁patterns ▁observed ▁in ▁the ▁foss il ▁record . ▁ ▁Another ▁fac et ▁of ▁his ▁work ▁was ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁fluid ▁mechan ics ▁to ▁understand ▁how ▁wind ▁pol lin ated ▁plants ▁trap ▁air bor ne ▁pol len ▁gra ins . ▁ ▁Nik las ’ ▁more ▁recent ▁work ▁has ▁continued ▁to ▁focus ▁on ▁using ▁physics , ▁chem istry , ▁and ▁mathematics ▁to ▁quant ify ▁how ▁physical ▁factors ▁dict ate ▁the ▁spatial ▁and ▁temporal ▁distributions ▁of ▁ext ant ▁plants . ▁ ▁His ▁books ▁on ▁bi ome chan ics ▁and ▁plant ▁all ometry ▁have ▁stim ulated ▁a ▁r ena issance ▁in ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁engineering ▁and ▁scaling ▁principles ▁to ▁understand ▁diverse ▁phen omena , ▁r anging ▁from ▁the ▁relationship ▁between ▁plant ▁growth ▁rates ▁and ▁body ▁mass ▁and ▁the ▁effects ▁of ▁wind ▁on ▁the ▁mechanical ▁stability ▁of ▁trees ▁to ▁the ▁distributions ▁of ▁above - ▁and ▁below - ground ▁bi om ass ▁in ▁for ested ▁communities . ▁ ▁Nik las ▁is ▁also ▁a ▁celebrated ▁and ▁dedicated ▁teacher ▁and ▁ment or . ▁ ▁Selected