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Chemosynthesis

Mimosa pudica, or the sensitive plant, is a native of tropical America known for its unusual seismonastic movements where its leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken as a defense mechanism. The plant flowers in mid to late summer and thrives in full sun to partial shade with moist, nutrient-rich soil. It is propagated from seed which germinates within 2-3 weeks at warm temperatures. The leaves also undergo nyctinastic movements at night by folding inward in response to darkness.

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147 views2 pages

Chemosynthesis

Mimosa pudica, or the sensitive plant, is a native of tropical America known for its unusual seismonastic movements where its leaves fold inward and droop when touched or shaken as a defense mechanism. The plant flowers in mid to late summer and thrives in full sun to partial shade with moist, nutrient-rich soil. It is propagated from seed which germinates within 2-3 weeks at warm temperatures. The leaves also undergo nyctinastic movements at night by folding inward in response to darkness.

Uploaded by

Cai04
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chemosynthesis

Most life on Earth is dependent upon photosynthesis, the process by which plants make energy from
sunlight. However, at hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean a unique ecosystem has evolved in the absense
of sunlight, and its source of energy is completely different: chemosynthesis. Chemosynthesis is the process
by which certain microbes create energy by mediating chemical reactions. So the animals that live around
hydrothermal vents make their living from the chemicals coming out of the seafloor in the vent
fluids! Because they are a local food source, hydrothermal vents typically have high biomass, in stark
contrast to the very sparse distribution of animals outside of vent areas where animals are dependent on food
dropping down from above.
Chemosynthetic microbes provide the foundation for biological colonization of vents. Chemosynthetic
microbes live on or below the seafloor, and even within the bodies of other vent animals as symbionts.
Where microbial mat covers the seafloor around vents, grazers such as snails, limpets, and scaleworms eat
the mat, and predators come to eat the grazers. Tubeworms flourish in small clumps, waving in the warm
fluids. A typical picture of an active hydrothermal vent is therefore one with shimmering warm
hydrothermal fluids, tubeworms and many other vent species, all densely clustered around the vent, with
white microbial mat material covering the surrounding area.

Chemosynthesis

Photosynthetic vs. Chemosynthetic food chains.

Microscopic views of
chemosyntetic microbes.
The chemicals in hydrothermal vent fluid would be toxic to most forms of life familiar to us, but
amazingly, a unique ecosystem has evolved to live at hydrothermal vents. These organisms are not
dependent on sunlight and photosynthesis, but instead rely on chemosynthesis, a process in which
certain microbes use chemicals in the vent water to produce energy. They in turn form the base for an
entire food chain of animals. Chemosynthetic microbes grow on and below the seafloor and even
within other animals at the vents.

Mimosa pudica or Sensitive Plant, a native of Tropical America, is a fun plant to grow. When we have
tours of school children, their favorite plant is the Sensitive Plant. The leaves fold up when touched. If
touched with a bit more force, the petioles will also bend at their pulvinis and the leaves droop. These
movements are called seismonastic movements (reaction to physical shock). At night, the leaves will also
fold and bend in movements known as nyctonastic movements (reaction to absence of light).
Blooming Time: The plant flowers in mid to late summer. The flowers are globe shaped, about 1 inch
across.
Culture: Mimosa pudica need full sun to partial shade, with a rich moist soil. We use a soil mix consisting
of 2 parts peat moss to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand or perlite. The soil should be kept evenly moist but not
saturated. During the growing season, the plant are fertilized on a weekly basis with a balanced fertilizer
diluted to the strength recommended on the label. During the winter months, fertilize on a monthly
basis. Winter temperatures should not fall below 65 F; if they do get chilled, then the plant suffers with
yellowing of leaves and stems.
Propagation: Mimosa pudica is propagated from seed. Seed will germinate in 14 to 21 days at 70 F.
Mimosa pudica was featured as Plant of the Week October 12-22, 2001.
Plant movement
Like a number of other plant species, it undergoes changes in leaf orientation termed "sleep"
ornyctinastic movement. The foliage closes during darkness and reopens in light
The leaves also close under various other stimuli, such as touching, warming, blowing, or shaking. These
types of movements have been termed seismonastic movements. The movement occurs when specific
regions of cells lose turgor pressure, which is the force that is applied onto the cell wall by water within
the cell vacuoles and other cell contents. When the plant is disturbed, specific regions on the stems are
stimulated to release chemicals including potassium ions which force water out of the cell vacuoles and
the water diffuses out of the cells, producing a loss of cell pressure and cell collapse; this differential
turgidity between different regions of cells results in the closing of the leaflets and the collapse of the
leaf petiole. This characteristic is quite common within the Mimosoideae subfamily of the legume
family, Fabaceae. The stimulus can also be transmitted to neighboring leaves. It is not known exactly
why Mimosa pudica evolved this trait, but many scientists think that the plant uses its ability to shrink as
a defense from predators. Animals may be afraid of a fast moving plant and would rather eat a less active
one. Another possible explanation is that the sudden movement dislodges harmful insects.

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