Is this plant INTELLIGENT? Tropical fern found to learn and remember despite having no brain Scientists from the University of Western Australia found Mimosa pudica plants can learn and remember as well as some animals.Fern responds to touch and curls up to protect itself from predators.But eventually learned not to curl up when rain drops landed on it.Researchers arent certain why the plants are able to do so, but think it might be down to a calcium-based signally network in their cells.Study suggests experience teaches plants to learn details to survive. Marvellous memories are often attributed to elephants, but scientists have discovered that plants can also learn and remember – even though they do not have a brain.Scientists claim fern-like plants that respond to touch have learned that water droplets are not harmful and remember the finding weeks afterwards.Their research suggests that experience teaches plants to learn details to survive and could lead to scientists viewing flora in a new way. The researchers studied Mimosa pudica, which folds inwards when touched to protect itself from predators.The University of Western Australia study, which also involved Professor Stefano Mancuso at the University of Florence in Italy, found the action is not simply a reflex. They examined the species’ short and long-term memories under both high and low light environments by repeatedly dropping water on the plants using a custom-designed apparatus to look at their response.The strange fauna stopped curling up once it learned that the water was not a threat to its survival and no damage was done, according to the study, which was published in the journal Oecologia.Mimosa plants were able to acquire the learnt behaviour in a matter of seconds and as in animals, learning was faster in low light. ‘Most remarkably, these plants were able to remember what had been learned for several weeks, even after environmental conditions had changed, the researchers said. WHY DOES MIMOSA PUDICA CURL UP WHEN TOUCHED? Mimosa pudica is also called the sensitive plant, sleepy plant and the touch-me-not.Its leaves fold inwards and droop when touched or shaken to protect it from predators and re-open minutes later.The species is native to South America and Central America.It is known for its rapid plant movement as the foliage closes during darkness and reopens in light.The leaves also close when touched, warmed, blown-upon or shaken - known as seismonastic movements.The movement occurs when specific regions of cells lose turgor pressure, which is the force that is applied onto the cell wall by water within cells.When the plant is disturbed, specific regions on the stems are stimulated to release chemicals including potassium ions which force water out of the cells and the water diffuses out of the cells, producing a loss of cell pressure and cell collapse.This differential stiffness between regions of cells, leads to the closing of the leaflets.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 13:58:18 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015