Timelapse of Dill Seedlings
Tips, Tricks
Honestly, I have zero idea why plants exhibit periodic motion. I did this using a fixed light source. Maybe the light on one side of the plant stimulates more growth than on the other side when the leaves are trapped by the seed casings, causing flutter?... but that makes no sense. Because if the light-side grew faster, the plant would just keep keeling over until it grew in a circle. And I would be amazed if there was some hard-coded mechanism inside the plant to use cell pressure differentials to coerce the entire organism to bend counter to the light. Regardless, it almost looks like the leaves are acting like the bi-metallic strips in your thermostat, one side always out-pacing the other to try and shake off the seed casing that's pinching it's baby leaves together. Anyone got any ideas? ----- Song is: Time (Instrumental Core Remix) - Originally by Hans Zimmer
Comments
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*correction: Unstable, not underdamped. *control systems terminology fail*
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It could very well be, but I would've guessed that even with oscillations in the rates of cell processes, an equilibrium would be found. But if this plant were a control system, I'd call it underdamped. My friend mentioned "Nastic movements" which sounds plausible, but it still doesn't explain the periodic motions. From watching the timelapses in BBC's Planet Earth, I thought seedlings ought to grow straight up lol.
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Very interesting indeed. Perhaps they were making adjustments based on photosynthesis rates? IE, one side is done with the cycle and so the plant rotates? Just a guess.
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