Loading
You are not signed in

Dinesh / Photos

ಲತಾತಂತು / Tendril

A slender threadlike appendage of a climbing plant, often growing in a spiral form, that stretches out and twines around any suitable support.
something resembling a plant tendril, especially a slender curl or ringlet of hair.
Visible by: Everyone
(more information)

More information

Visible by: Everyone

All rights reserved

Report this photo as inappropriate

2 comments

Dinesh said:

Tendrils are specialized plant structures that enable climbing plants to attach to and ascend supports. Their coiling mechanism relies on differential growth and cell turgor pressure changes, driven by touch or contact with a support, a process known as thigmotropism. This involves a combination of rapid, reversible changes in cell shape and slower, more permanent changes in growth rate.

1. Circumnutation:

Tendrils initially exhibit a waving or rotating motion (circumnutation) to increase the chance of encountering a support.

2. Contact and Initial Coiling:

Upon touching a support, the tendril's thigmotropic response is triggered.

3. Differential Growth:

The side of the tendril in contact with the support slows its growth, while the opposite side elongates faster, causing the tendril to bend and coil around the support.

4. Rapid Contact-Coiling:

Some tendrils exhibit a rapid, reversible coiling response due to changes in cell turgor pressure (water pressure within cells). Cells on the contact side contract, while those on the opposite side expand, causing the tendril to curl.

5. Free Coiling:

After initial contact, tendrils continue to coil, creating a spiral or helical structure. This coiling can involve right-handed and left-handed helices connected by a "perversion," or change in direction.

6. Overwinding and Lignification:

When pulled, tendrils may overwound, adding more turns to the helix, and their cells can lignify (harden), strengthening the grip around the support.

Key Players:

Auxin:

.
The plant hormone auxin plays a role in the differential growth by accumulating on the non-contact side, promoting cell elongation there.

Cell Turgor Pressure:

.
Changes in turgor pressure, driven by water movement in and out of cells, are crucial for the initial, rapid coiling response.

Fiber Cells:

.
Tendrils contain specialized fiber cells that contribute to their structural strength and coiling properties.

Essentially, tendrils are sophisticated biological mechanisms that allow plants to climb and secure themselves, utilizing a combination of touch-sensitivity, differential growth, and turgor pressure changes.
13 days ago

Dinesh said:

used
13 days ago ( translate )
You must sign in to add a comment.