A Hairy Situation: The Venus Flytrap
Abstract
The thigmonastic movement of the Venus flytrap is unlike any other in that of the plant kingdom. In this study, the movement of the plant will be observed, as well as the masses it takes to trigger the plant. Micro pipettes will be the primary tool used in distributing water among the trigger hairs; variations in water being used to measure the amount of pressure necessary to trigger the trap, while video analysis will be utilized in studying the movement of the plant.
Introduction
The reasoning behind choosing Dionaea muscipula, the Venus flytrap was due to its intricate movement. The Venus flytrap, does not simply obtain nutrients from water, soil, and air. Using its sensitive trigger hairs, it mouth senses and closes in on prey, trapping it and eventually absorbing all nutrients. Now how exactly do these trigger hairs work? The thigmonastic movement (movement due to a response to touch or vibration) of the Venus flytrap stems from electric signaling. Once a hair is triggered, an electric charge will move towards the center of the trap, opening pores in the outermost layer of the cells. This dramatic change in pressure will cause the trap to snap shut. [How Does a Venus Flytrap Work? Scienceline.org –2010] The primary goal regarding this study it to determine the pressure necessary to cause such an electrical response.
Methods
Seven specimens of D. muscipula, all similar in size and kept under constant, appropriate, living conditions were used in this experiment. Other instruments used consisted of a 2-20 microliter pipet, water, and an eight megapixel camera. The micropipet was first filled to its max capacity of 20 microliters. This amount was used to trigger the first trigger hair of the plant in each experiment. The second trigger varied in the amount of water, as to determine how much water would be enough to trigger the plant and how much water would have no effect on the plant. The variables of um of water used constituted of 14, 15, 16, 18, and 20 microliters. The experiment was repeated until consistent, accurate data was formed.
The experiment was repeated, however, rather than using 20 microliters to trigger the first hair of the experiment, various amounts of liquid were used. For the first trial, 20 microliters were used for the first trigger hair as well as the second. For the second trial, 18 microliters were then used to trigger the first hair as well as the second. This method was used for 16, 15, and 14 microliters. The experiment was repeated until consistent, accurate data was formed.
Videos of each experiment were documented on the eight megapixel camera.
Results
Displayed in the table below is a table of the data collected from the experiment. When attempting to trigger the plant with a first trigger of 20 microliters of water and again with 20 microliters, the plant responded. The experiment was repeated with 18, 16, 15, and finally 14 microliters of water. At 14 microliters, the plant showed no response to the water. The experiment was repeated five different times. Results remained consistent.
A Table of our results
In this trial, 2o microliters were used throughout the experiment to trigger the first trigger hair. 20, 18, 16, 15, and 14 microliters were then used to trigger the second trigger hair. The results are as follows:
20 microliters used to trigger the first and second trigger hairs of D. muscipula.
18 microliters used to trigger the first and second trigger hairs of D. muscipula.
16 microliters used to trigger the first and second trigger hairs of D. muscipula.
15 microliters used to trigger the first and second trigger hairs of D. muscipula.
14 microliters used to attempt to trigger the first and second trigger hairs of D. muscipula.
References
Forterre, Yoël, Jan M. Skotheim, Jacques Dumais, and L. Mahadevan. “How the Venus Flytrap Snaps.” Nature. Macmillan Publishers Limited, 12 Nov. 2004. Web.
Volkov, Alexander G., Holly Carrell, and Vladislav S. Markin. “Biologically Closed Electrical Circuits in Venus Flytrap.” Plant Physiology. American Society of Plant Biologists, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
Volkov, Alexander G., Tejumade Adesina, and Emil Jovanov. “Closing of Venus Flytrap by Electrical Stimulation of Motor Cells.” Plant Signaling & Behavior. Landes Bioscience, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
Volkov, Alexander G., Tejumade Adesina, Vladislav S. Markin, and Emil Jovanov. “Kinetics and Mechanism of Dionaea Muscipula Trap Closing.”Plant Physiology. American Society of Plant Biologists, n.d. Web. 19 May 2016.
Williams, Mary E., and Hugh M. Mozingo. “The Fine Structure of the Trigger Hair in Venus’s Flytrap.” Botanical Society of America, Inc., n.d. Web.