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Gravity Sensing, Interpretation, and Response

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Biocommunication of Plants

Part of the book series: Signaling and Communication in Plants ((SIGCOMM,volume 14))

Abstract

Because higher plants spend their sessile lives at the site of their germination, they rely on a number of strategies to ensure their survival in response to environmental stimuli. One of the stimuli to which plants can respond is gravity. Here, we describe recent findings with regard to the plant’s response to gravity. We put specific emphasis on the molecular mechanism of gravitropism, which is a well-studied response to gravity. Since the direction and the magnitude of gravity are relatively constant on the surface of the Earth, gravitropism can be regarded as a posture adjustment, triggered by sensing the tilt of organs relative to the direction of gravity. Recent studies that combined molecular genetics and cell biological approaches in Arabidopsis thaliana have contributed to understand the mechanism of gravitropism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Takayama/Ikoma/Nara, Japan

    Miyo Terao Moirta, Moritaka Nakamura & Masao Tasaka

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  1. Miyo Terao Moirta
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  2. Moritaka Nakamura
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  3. Masao Tasaka
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Correspondence to Miyo Terao Moirta .

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  1. Telos - Philosophische Praxis, Vogelsangstr. 18c, Bürmoos, 5111, Austria

    Günther Witzany

  2. Inst. Zelluläre und Molekulare, Botanik (IZMB), Universität Bonn, Kirschallee 1, Bonn, 53115, Germany

    František Baluška

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Moirta, M.T., Nakamura, M., Tasaka, M. (2012). Gravity Sensing, Interpretation, and Response. In: Witzany, G., Baluška, F. (eds) Biocommunication of Plants. Signaling and Communication in Plants, vol 14. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23524-5_4

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