GEOTROPISM

 GEOTROPISM IS A GROWTH MOVEMENT BY A PLANT OR FUNGUS

IN RESPONSE TO GRAVITY.

 CHARLES DARWIN WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO SCIENTIFICALLY

DOCUMENT THAT ROOTS SHOW POSITIVE GEOTROPISM AND
STEMS SHOW NEGATIVE GEOTROPISM.
 THAT IS , ROOTS GROW IN THE DIRECTION OF GRAVITATIONAL

PULL (I.E., DOWNWARD ) AND STEMS GROW IN THE OPPOSITE

DIRECTION (I.E., UPWARDS ).

 THIS BEHAVIOR CAN BE EASILY DEMONSTRATED WITH A POTTED

PLANT.
 WHEN LAID ONTO ITS SIDE, THE GROWING PARTS OF THE STEM

BEGIN TO DISPLAY NEGATIVE GEOTROPISM, BENDING

(BIOLOGISTS SAY, TURNING ; SEE TROPISM ) UPWARDS.

HERBACEOUS (NON-WOODY ) STEMS ARE CAPABLE OF A SMALL

DEGREE OF ACTUAL BENDING , BUT MOST OF THE REDIRECTED
MOVEMENT OCCURS AS A CONSEQUENCE OF ROOT OR STEM
GROWTH IN A NEW DIRECTION .
GEOTROPISM IN ROOTS

 ROOTS BEND IN RESPONSE TO GRAVITY DUE TO A IN TIME

MOVEMENT OF THE PLANT HORMONE AUXIN KNOWN AS POLAR
AUXIN TRANSPORT.

 IN ROOTS, AN INCREASE IN THE CONCENTRATION OF AUXIN

WILL RESTRAIN CELL EXPANSION; THEREFORE , THE
REARRANGEMENT OF AUXIN IN THE ROOT CAN BEGIN GAP
GROWTH IN THE ELONGATION ZONE RESULTING IN ROOT BEND .

 THE TERM "GEOTROPIC" REFERS TO A PLANT WHOSE ROOTS GROW

DOWN INTO THE SOIL AS A RESPONSE TO GRAVITY .

 PLANTS COMMONLY EXIST IN A STATE OF "ANISOTROPIC

GROWTH ," WHERE ROOTS GROW DOWNWARD AND SHOOTS GROW
UPWARD.

 ANISOTROPIC GROWTH WILL CONTINUE EVEN AS A PLANT IS

TURNED SIDEWAYS OR UPSIDE DOWN.

 IN OTHER WORDS , NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO TO A PLANT

WITHIN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE , IT WILL STILL GROW ROOTS
DOWN AND STEM UP.

 THE REASON FOR THIS COMES FROM THE NATURE OF A PLANT

AND ITS GENERAL RESPONSE TO GRAVITY .
GEOTRPISM IN STEMS

 A SIMILAR MECHANISM IS KNOWN TO OCCUR IN PLANT STEMS

EXCEPT THAT THE SHOOT CELLS HAVE A DIFFERENT DOSE
RESPONSE CURVE WITH RESPECT TO AUXIN .

 IN SHOOTS , INCREASING THE LOCAL CONCENTRATION OF AUXIN

PROMOTES CELL EXPANSION ; THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF ROOT
CELLS .

 THE DIFFERENTIAL SENSITIVITY TO AUXIN HELPS EXPLAIN

DARWIN 'S ORIGINAL OBSERVATION THAT STEMS AND ROOTS
RESPOND IN THE OPPOSITE WAY TO THE GRAVITY VECTOR .

 IN BOTH ROOTS AND STEMS AUXIN ACCUMULATES TOWARDS THE

GRAVITY VECTOR ON THE LOWER SIDE.

 IN ROOTS, THIS RESULTS IN THE INHIBITION OF CELL

EXPANSION ON THE LOWER SIDE AND THE CONCOMITANT
CURVATURE OF THE ROOTS TOWARDS GRAVITY (POSITIVE
GEOTROPISM).

 IN STEMS, THE AUXIN ALSO ACCUMULATES ON THE LOWER SIDE,

HOWEVER IN THIS TISSUE IT INCREASES CELL EXPANSION AND
RESULTS IN THE SHOOT CURVING UP (STATOLITHIC
GEOTROPISM).
TROPISM
 A "TROPISM" IS A PLANT MOVEMENT TRIGGERED BY STIMULI .

 A TROPISM IS A BIOLOGICAL FACT, DEMONSTRATING GROWTH OR

TURNING MOVEMENT OF A BIOLOGICAL ORGANISM, USUALLY A
PLANT, IN RESPONSE TO AN ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULUS .

 IN TROPISMS , THIS RESPONSE IS DEPENDENT ON THE DIRECTION

OF THE STIMULUS (AS OPPOSED TO NASTIC MOVEMENT WHICH
ARE NON-DIRECTIONAL RESPONSES ).

 VIRUSES AND OTHER PATHOGENS ALSO AFFECT WHAT IS CALLED

"HOST TROPISM" OR "CELL TROPISM" IN WHICH CASE TROPISM
REFERS TO THE WAY IN WHICH DIFFERENT VIRUSES /PATHOGENS
HAVE EVOLVED TO PREFERENTIALLY TARGET SPECIFIC HOST
SPECIES OR SPECIFIC CELL TYPES WITHIN THOSE SPECIES.

 TROPISMS ARE USUALLY NAMED FOR THE STIMULUS INVOLVED

(FOR EXAMPLE, A PHOTOTROPISM IS A REACTION TO LIGHT) AND
MAY BE EITHER POSITIVE (TOWARDS THE STIMULUS) OR
NEGATIVE (AWAY FROM THE STIMULUS ).