Life Movements in Plants, Volume IBose, Jagadis Chandra
Science
Life Movements in Plants, Volume I
Bose, Jagadis Chandra
Growth (Plants); Plants -- Irritability and movements
_Experiment 10._--As a typical example I shall describe the response of
a straight tendril of _Passiflora_. A cut specimen was mounted with its
lower end in water. Suitable electric connections were made for sending
a feeble induction shock of short duration through the specimen.
In this and all other records, unless contrary be stated, up-curve
represents contractile movement. On application of stimulus of electric
shock, an excitatory movement of contraction occurred which shortly
reached its maximum; the apex-time was one minute and forty seconds,
and recovery was completed after a further period of five minutes
(Fig. 10). Stronger shocks induce greater contraction with prolongation
of the period of recovery. The specimen was afterwards killed by
application of poisonous solution of potassium cyanide; this brought
about a permanent abolition of response. The experiment just described
may be taken as typical of response of radial organs.
In a radial organ contraction takes place equally in all directions;
it therefore shortens in length, there being no movement in a lateral
plane. But if any agency renders one side less excitable than its
opposite, diffuse stimulation will then induce greater contraction on
the more excitable side which will therefore become concave.
RESPONSE OF AN ANISOTROPIC ORGAN.
Excessive stimulation is found to reduce the excitability of an organ.
Under unilateral mechanical stimulation a tendril of _Passiflora_
becomes hooked or coiled, the concave being the excited side. From what
has been said, the unexcited convex side will relatively be the more
excitable.
[Illustration: Fig. 11. Response of a hooked tendril of _Passiflora_ to
electric shock. Successive dots at intervals of 5 seconds.]
_Experiment 11._--I took a specimen of hooked tendril, and excited it
by an electric shock. The response was by the greater contraction of
the more excitable convex side, on account of which the curved specimen
tended to open out. The record of this response is seen in Fig. 11; the
apex-time was nearly two minutes, and the recovery was completed in the
further course of 15 minutes.
From the responses of organs rendered anisotropic by the differential
action of the environment we pass to others which show certain amount
of anatomical and physiological differentiation between their upper
and lower sides. I find that many petioles of leaves show movement in
response to stimulus. Many pulvini, generally regarded as insensitive,
are also found to exhibit responsive movements.
RESPONSE OF THE PULVINUS OF _MIMOSA PUDICA_.
[Illustration: Fig. 12. Response of the main pulvinus of _Mimosa
pudica_.]
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