Thermonastic TROPISM

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Thermonastic TROPISM THERMOnastic TROPISM Eleni Katrini | Ruchie Kothari | Mugdha Mokashi Bio_Logic Lab School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University ABSTRACT Motivation: To develop dynamic elements which respond to changes in temperature Approach: The thermonastic movements of the Tulip flower were looked at for inspiration to develop conceptual systems based on movement and heat. The tulip flower opens and closes its petals based on the external temperature. The petals open up when the temperature is high and close when the temperature is low. This movement of the petals is facilitated by movement of water through the plant. Experiments were conducted using paper which is a fibrous material exhibiting properties similar to that of a flower petal. Water at different temperatures was studied as a conducting medium. Findings: Based on analysis, different forms of flowers were created. This includes flowers with varying surface areas, flowers made using composite materials, laminated and chiseled flowers, flowers with varying edge exposure etc. The study was focused on exploring the effects of capillary action on fibrous materials. The observations were focused on- - Range of movement of petals - Duration for capillary action - Effect of hot and cold temperature It was seen that the range of movement was the same for most of the prototypes. All the flowers other than the flowers for which the range of movement was restricted opened up to 180o. The time taken for the water to rise depended on the density and the surface area of the paper in contact with the water. Increase in density of the paper in contact with water, increases the time taken for the water to rise up. Increase in the surface area of the paper in contact with water, decreases the time taken for the water to rise up. The water rises up faster when the water is hot as compared to when the water is cold. Implications: Even though we were able to understand techniques to create units which opened up due to temperature changes, we were not able to find a technique to reverse the movement. It is necessary to study the effect of temperature on sturdier materials which can be used for practical applications. tulip x-ray THE TULIP Kingdom: Plantae | Order: Liliales | Family: Liliaceae | Genus: Tulipa The tulip belongs to the genus tulipa which comprises of 109 species. It is a perennial bulbous plant that blooms over the spring. The tulip is indigenous to mountainous areas with temperate climates. like Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, Iran and the Northwest of China. Plant Description: The height of the tulip plant varies depending on the species of the plant. Its height ranges from 4” (10cm) to 28” (71cm). In most species, each stem produces only one flower. The stem has few leaves (2-6), that are strap shaped, with a waxy coating. They TULIP are arranged alternatively on the stem.The flowers are either cup shaped or star- The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which shaped and they have 3 petals and 3 sepals. The petals as well as sepals are usually comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. referred to as tepals as they are the same color. The tepals have darker coloring at the base. The tulip comes in a wide variety of colors. Its petals are edible. Environmental Conditions and Adaptive Strategies: The tulip is found in temperate climates which are characterized by cold winters and dry hot summers. It has several adaptive features which help it survive in this climate. During the winter the plant is dormant. Low winter temperatures of 5-10oC are essential to accelerate the process of vernalisation. The bulb grows to a vegetative state during this period and the plant acquires the ability to flower. This ensures that the plant flowers during spring and not autumn. Seed production takes place during the spring when the bulb grows to a reproductive stage. Physical adaptations The bulb has a fleshy inner part which is protected by a dry outer membrane. It grows deep underground for protection from the extreme summer and winter temperatures and stores food for the dormant period. The leaves are waxy to protect from MEDICAGO MARINA premature drying during the summer. The flower closes during the winter to protect its reproductive organs and opens during the summer at an average temperature of 20oC. It intuitively knows that the temperature is too low for pollination. Once the temperature rises, the flower opens up to aid pollination. The flower itself is vibrant and has a delicate scent to attract its pollinators –beetles, syrphid flies, nectar wasps CROCUS and bees. The insects are also attracted to tulip flower due to its bowl shape which stores the heat from the sun and offers a warm shelter to the insects. The open cup Crocus (plural: crocuses, croci) is a genus in the iris family comprising about 80 species shape enables an easy landing for the insects. of perennials growing from corms. Crocus’ opening and closing blossoms during day and The opening and closing movement of the flower is due to change in temperature as night is an example of thermonastic movement. opposed to sunlight which is common for most flowers. This is the reason the tulip Medicago marina is a plant species of the genus Medicago. It is native to the Mediterra- was selected for analysis for this study. nean basin but is found worldwide. A. leaves during the day B. leaves asleep at night Background Nature exhibits a great diversity of species. The differences in the habitat of a species result in the different forms of morphological adaptations within the species. Plants, like other organisms, have their own unique way of responding to their natural environment. The growth and turgor movement exhibited within the plants is termed as “tropism”, and the generalised plant responses to external stimulus are called as “nastic movements”. The opening of bud scales and of flower petals, growth movements that occur in response to stimuli, such as light and heat, are examples of such nastic movements. Tropism in plants is triggered due to the presence of certain Changes in Gentiana algida corolla width vs. temperature over a representative day in hormones known as “auxins” which are responsible for the cell growth. the alpine. Corolla width is denoted by open diamonds, internal corolla temperature Many plant movements are controlled by both endogenous and exogenous signals. (air temperature near the base of the ovary) is denoted by solid circles, and ambient air Response to temperature is an example which is an effect of endogenous signal within temperature within 2 cm of measured corollas are denoted by x’s. Measurements were the plant due to an exogenous stimuli, which is heat. Some spring flowers like the taken at the alpine fellfield site in the Medicine Bow Mountains of southeastern Wyoming Crocus or Tulips respond to warmth and are termed as thermonastic plants. on 13 August. Dov Koller, in his book “The Restless Plant” explains how Tulips and Crocus flowers open in response to a small increase in ambient temperature and close in response to lowering temperature. The adaxial tissues on the upper side of the perianth of the flowers exhibits an abrupt increase in length in response to a 10o C rise in temperature. The abaxial tissue on the lower side of the perianth exhibits a similar increase in response to a 10o C decrease in temperature. This phenomenon is supported by Woods (1953) in his works wherein he states that the thermonastic movement in flowers depends on the growth difference of the two sides of the perianth segments. The optimum temperature for the growth of upper side being higher than that of the lower side causes the petals to bend outwards during high temperatures and inwards during low temperatures. Work of Pfeffer(1897) on the flowers of Crocus and Tulipa demonstrate that the crocus are more sensitive to temperature than tulipa. His work states that flowers of some Crocus plant opened to an extent with fluctuations of only 0.5o C. This research was further developed upon by F.M Andrews who experiments in order to prove that the flowers of one species of Crocus, Crocus Vernus, are capable of responding to temperature change smaller than 0.5o C. His experiments showed that the flowers of Crocus Vernus opened with just an increase of 0.2o C, while the tulips exhibited a tendency to open with a change of less than 1o C. Corolla width expressed as percentage of maximum opening vs. corolla temperature for The paper “Phosphorylation of Plasma Membrane Aquaporin Regulates Temperature- three different rainfall events that occurred between 1210 and 1740 at the alpine fellfield Dependant site on three different days (19 July, 4 August, and 6 August). Each symbol represents a different plant (N 5 3) and rain event. transpiration opening in Tulip Petals”(2004) further researches on the relation between temperature- dependant petal opening and water transport from other parts to the petals. The study focuses on the effects of phosphorylation, which is a plant mechanism, of aquaporin (water channeling protein) that facilitates the transport of water at temperatures higher than 20o C, which in turn results in the opening of petals. Various other articles from the Oxford Journals provide another perspective to the same study. The other researches conducted, show that the thermonastic properties of the flowers also assist the delicate organ in protecting itself against harsh natural conditions such as thunderstorms, rain or snow. The blossom closure helps to protect turgor the reproductive organs inside the corolla and the flower opens during warmer PRESSURE temperature attracting bees and flies which in turn assist with the pollination.
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