Gravity Affects the Closure of the Traps in Dionaea muscipula

Gravity Affects the Closure of the Traps in Dionaea muscipula

Camilla Pandolfi,¹ Elisa Masi,¹ Boris Voigt,² Sergio Mugnai,¹ Dieter Volkmann,² and Stefano Mancuso<sup>1

1</sup>DISPAA, University of Florence, Viale delle idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
²IZMB, University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, 53115 Bonn, Germany

Received 12 May 2014; Accepted 27 June 2014; Published 15 July 2014

Academic Editor: Monica Monici

Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula Ellis) is a carnivorous plant known for its ability to capture insects thanks to the fast snapping of its traps.This fast movement has been long studied and it is triggered by the mechanical stimulation of hairs, located in the middle of the leaves. Here we present detailed experiments on the effect of microgravity on trap closure recorded for the first time during a parabolic flight campaign. Our results suggest that gravity has an impact on trap responsiveness and on the kinetics of trap closure. The possible role of the alterations of membrane permeability induced by microgravity on trap movement is discussed. Finally we show how the Venus flytrap could be an easy and effective model plant to perform studies on ion channels and aquaporin activities, as well as on electrical activity in vivo on board of parabolic flights and large diameter centrifuges.

Camilla Pandolfi, Elisa Masi, Boris Voigt, Sergio Mugnai, Dieter Volkmann, and Stefano Mancuso, “Gravity Affects the Closure of the Traps in Dionaea muscipula,” BioMed Research International, vol. 2014, Article ID 964203, 5 pages, 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/964203