[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/sci/ - Science & Math

View post   
File: 11 KB, 300x396, 1297791886614.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
5479042 No.5479042 [Reply] [Original]

In which direction do plants grow in zero gravity?

>> No.5479043

Towards the light source

>> No.5479967

>>5479043

The leaves will grow towards light - which is phototropism. But the roots grow towards gravity, geotropism. Flies have a similar gene and move away from gravity. Your answer is good, but I wonder where the roots will tend to grow.

>> No.5479969

>>5479967
they'll expand outward in all directions.

>> No.5479976

>>5479967
If flies are genetically predisposed to fly away from gravity, why don't they fly into space?

checkmate

>> No.5479979

>>5479969
I'm going to agree with you. The leaves will grow in the direction of the closest star or artificial light, and the roots will grow in all directions. Without any light, obviously the plant dies.

>> No.5479982

Don't roots grow towards sources of nutrition?

>> No.5479984

the roots wouldn't come together as a giant mass?

they each have their own gravitational force despite being part of a larger mass

>> No.5479986 [DELETED] 

negative-phototropism

>> No.5479989

>>5479982
you have a point. OP, is this plant surrounded by any nutrients or is it simply floating, away from any nutrients?

>> No.5479990

>>5479982

I know plants have a specific gene making their roots grow towards gravity. But some other gene may supplement that action. I just don't know about it.

>> No.5479992 [DELETED] 

the experiment has been done. why speculate when the answer is at your finger tips?

>> No.5479999

>>5479992
because perhaps we wish to stimulate our minds with intellectual discussion, as opposed to the mindless drivel induced by simply accepting whatever we're told. Intelligence is not defined by access to data.

>> No.5480007

>>5479986
Flies actually have negative geo-tropism. Maybe that's what you mean. They fly away from the gravity of the earth.
For example, put them in a tube, and they will instinctively go towards the end pointed away from the earth, the ground. Even if that end is covered and the other end is open. Typically.

>> No.5480002

>>5479990
>>5479989
I'm just spouting unchecked ideas here, but wouldn't there be a feedback system governing where roots grow?

e.g.
1) root grows into space, root gets no nutrients, root dies.
2) root grows into soil, root gets nutrients, root has the adequate nutrients to keep on growing and expanding

>> No.5480003

roots grow towards nutrient, stalks grow in the direction of least pressure, and branches grow toward the light.

>> No.5480004

>>5479999

you don't deserve those quads

0/10

>> No.5480008

>>5479992
pics please
>>5479999
nice quads

>> No.5480013

>>5480004

and who the fuck are you

>> No.5480015

>>5480004
Really? You're the one who said the roots will come together as a giant mass.

>> No.5480023

>>5480004
mothergoose pls go

>> No.5480025

Agravitropic plants grow all wiggeldy-piggeldy. However, this really only matters in seedlings. Mature plant roots in general grow every-fucking-where so they can pull up moisture.

Mild phenotypes have some drift - they might start out pointing generally down, but they'll go a different way gradually. Severe phenotypes end up looking like a scrunched up ball of roots.

There's not one gene in control of gravity-sensing, there's many genes involved in the pathway, and root and shoot gravitropism are governed separately.

I'm a plant biologist.

>> No.5480030

>>5479967
gravitropism*

>> No.5480034

>>5480025
So it depends on the particular plant. Which is excellent in terms of natural selection and survival. Perfect answer.

>> No.5480036

>>5480025
wonderful answer.

Now that there's a plant biologist here, do deciduous trees go into the plant equivalent of hibernation for a set period of time that is counted, or is there some sensor/feedback system they use to detect when its good to start growing again? or possibly neither?

>> No.5480039 [DELETED] 

they greew plants on the ISS. The root grew away from the light, or in the opposite direction to shoot growth

>> No.5480042

>>5480039
pics/source

>> No.5480048 [DELETED] 

>>5479999
because you could not stimulate your mind with discussing the correct answer and discussing the reason why the answer is what it is?

"Intelligence is not defined by access to data"
of course it fucking is!

>> No.5480051

>>5480013
>>5480015

>the experiment has already been conducted
>but we should still spitball random ideas of what may happen instead of looking up how it actually happens
>and we should get defensive when someone says it's already been tested and refuse to accept what they "say" despite the fact that it'd have an explanation and pictures behind it as well

>> No.5480055 [DELETED] 

>>5480042
http://www.science20.com/news_articles/plant_growth_zero_gravity-98388

>> No.5480057

>>5480036
Dormancy is determined by temperature and daylength. Once the outside temperatures are high enough and the days are long enough (it will vary per plant), it'll kick out of dormancy.

>> No.5480065 [DELETED] 

>>5480051
yes! there is an interesting discussion to be had. But instead lets remain willfully ignorant and claim that to be intellectual discussion instead.

>> No.5480066

>>5480057
Thanks, I was told back in school that deciduous trees counted the days, seemed pretty bullshit

>> No.5480077

>>5480048
I disagree. I think a man's ability to observe and to think outweigh his ability to do a google search. This is the problem with the internet, and to some extent the modern world. With all information a click or two away, we no longer seek answers ourselves.

>> No.5480081 [DELETED] 

>>5480066
also it often takes a period of cold for example as well as rising temperatures. If you want to bring a plant on early or you start some seeds you can stick them in the freexer for a dey hours or days.

>> No.5480088 [DELETED] 

>>5480077
>observe
what like directly take in data?

>> No.5480090

>>5480066
Yeah, it's bull. But it's the kind of bull that makes sense to kids, I guess.

There are some biological phenomena that are effectively timekeepers, though. Lots of animals have surprisingly accurate internal time senses, which to my knowledge are based on some regular circadian cycles in the animal's biochemistry (but don't quote me on that, I don't actually know shit about animal organismal bio).

>> No.5480094

>>5480077
As always, a balance is the best.

On one hand, we can learn in a few hours what it took lifetimes for other scientists to discover, and we can build on what they learnt, further progressing the collective knowledge of our species.

However, without having the ability to expand on existing ideas with your own research and contribute back into the system, the knowledge you have gained is (evolutionarily) useless.

>> No.5480104

>>5480081
>>5480088
why the deleted comments? banned?

>> No.5480114
File: 2 KB, 125x93, Raven.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
5480114

>>5480094
you said it more eloquently than i could manage. thanks.

>> No.5480119

>>5480114
balance brah