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Gravitropically‐stimulated seedlings show autotropism in weightlessness
Author(s) -
Chapman David K.,
Johnsson Anders,
Karlsson Christina,
Brown Allan,
Heathcote David
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1994.tb02206.x
Subject(s) - coleoptile , weightlessness , avena , gravitropism , spaceflight , stimulus (psychology) , biophysics , chemistry , stimulation , botany , physics , biology , biochemistry , neuroscience , psychology , astronomy , arabidopsis , gene , mutant , psychotherapist
In a spaceflight experiment, autotropism by oat ( Avena sativa L.) coleoptiles following gravitropic responses was prominent in weightlessness: counter‐reactions led to the straightening of the curved coleoptiles. This was not the case during clinorotation on earth. The autotropic reactions appeared to be related to the stimulus received during the stimulus period, i.e. the greater the response the greater the autotropic counter‐reaction. Previous models of the gravitropic system which predicted that coleoptiles would not straighten in weightlessness are disproved. A modification to one of the models is proposed which includes the autotropic response observed in spaceflight. The nature of the counter‐reactions in the absence of gravitropic stimulation is discussed.