PHYSICAL MATHEMATICS SEMINAR


TOPIC:	HOW THE VENUS FLYTRAP SNAPS


SPEAKER:	JAN SKOTHEIM
		University of Cambridge

ABSTRACT:

The rapid closure of the carnivorous plant Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is 
one of the fastest motions  (typically 100 ms) in the plant kingdom and led Darwin 
to describe the plant as one of the most wonderful in the world. The closure is initiated 
by the mechanical stimulation of trigger hairs acting as mechanosensors. Previous 
studies have focused on the biochemical response of the trigger hairs to stimuli and 
quantified the propagation of an action potential in the leaves. Here, we complement 
the biochemical studies by considering the post-stimulation mechanical aspects of Venus 
flytrap closure. Using high-speed video, microscopy, and force measurements we find 
experimental evidence supporting our hypothesis that the fast closure of the trap results 
from a mechanical buckling instability, which we quantify in terms of a simple model. 
This resolves the controversy surrounding the mechanism of rapid closure in the Venus 
flytrap, and provides a framework for how rapid motions can be generated in plants.  
 	

TUESDAY, MAY 4 2004
2:30 pm
Building 2, Room 338

Refreshments will be served at 3:30 PM in Room 2-349

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mathematics, Cambridge, MA  02139