Life Movements in Plants, Volume IBose, Jagadis Chandra
Science
Life Movements in Plants, Volume I
Bose, Jagadis Chandra
Growth (Plants); Plants -- Irritability and movements
Having found that the temperature is the modifying cause, the next
point of inquiry relates to the discovery of the force, whose varying
effects under changing temperature induces the periodic movement. I
shall, in this connection, first discuss the various tentative theories
that may be advanced in explanation of the movement.
TRANSPIRATION AND DIURNAL MOVEMENT.
It may be thought that the fall of the tree during rise of temperature
may be due to passive yielding of the tree to its weight, there being
increased transpiration and general loss of turgor at high temperature.
I shall, however, show that the diurnal movement persists in the
absence of transpiration.
_Diurnal movement in absence of transpiration: Experiment 5._--In the
leaf of _Arenga saccharifera_, I found that the petiole was the organ
of movement. I cut off the transpiring lamina and covered the cut end
with collodion flexile. The plant was now placed in a chamber saturated
with moisture. The petiole continued to give records of its diurnal
movement in every way similar to the record of the intact leaf. In
another experiment with the water plant, _Ipoemia reptans_, immersed in
water, the normal diurnal movement was given by the plant, where there
could be no question of variation of turgor due to transpiration. (See
also _Expt._ 7.)
In the diurnal movement of the ‘Praying’ Palm the concave curvature of
the rigid neck in the morning, became flattened or slightly convex in
the afternoon. The force necessary to cause this is enormously great,
and could on no account result from the passive yielding to the weight
of the upper part of the tree.
From the facts given above it will be seen that the diurnal movement is
not brought about by variation in transpiration. I now turn to another
phenomenon which appeared at first to have some connection with the
movement of the tree. Kraus found that the tissue tensions of a shoot
exhibit a daily periodicity. He, however, found that between 10°C. and
30°C., variation of temperature had no effect on the daily period. But
as regards the diurnal movement of the tree, it is the temperature
which is the principal factor. Kraus also found a daily variation of
bulk in different plant-organs; this variation of bulk is connected
with transpiration, for the removal of the transpiring leaves arrested
this variation. But the periodic movement of the tree, as we have seen,
is independent of transpiration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account