The functions of foliar nyctinasty: a review and hypothesis.
01 Feb 2019-Biological Reviews of The Cambridge Philosophical Society (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd)-Vol. 94, Iss: 1, pp 216-229
TL;DR: Foliar nyctinasty, much like the enhanced illumination of the full moon, may mitigate feeding by nocturnal herbivores by altering their foraging behaviour and may slow certain types of ectothermic herbivore making them more vulnerable to predation.
Abstract: Foliar nyctinasty is a plant behaviour characterised by a pronounced daily oscillation in leaf orientation. During the day, the blades of nyctinastic plant leaves (or leaflets) assume a more or less horizontal position that optimises their ability to capture sunlight for photosynthesis. At night, the positions that the leaf blades assume, regardless of whether they arise by rising, falling or twisting, are essentially vertical. Among the ideas put forth to explain the raison d'etre of foliar nyctinasty are that it: (i) improves the temperature relations of plants; (ii) helps remove surface water from foliage; (iii) prevents the disruption of photoperiodism by moonlight; and (iv) directly discourages insect herbivory. After discussing these previous hypotheses, a novel tritrophic hypothesis is introduced that proposes that foliar nyctinasty constitutes an indirect plant defence against nocturnal herbivores. It is suggested that the reduction in physical clutter that follows from nocturnal leaf closure may increase the foraging success of many types of animals that prey upon or parasitise herbivores. Predators and parasitoids generally use some combination of visual, auditory or olfactory cues to detect prey. In terrestrial environments, it is hypothesised that the vertical orientation of the blades of nyctinastic plants at night would be especially beneficial to flying nocturnal predators (e.g. bats and owls) and parasitoids whose modus operandi is death from above. The movements of prey beneath a plant with vertically oriented foliage would be visually more obvious to gleaning or swooping predators under nocturnal or crepuscular conditions. Such predators could also detect sounds made by prey better without baffling layers of foliage overhead to damp and disperse the signal. Moreover, any volatiles released by the prey would diffuse more directly to the awaiting olfactory apparatus of the predators or parasitoids. In addition to facilitating the demise of herbivores by carnivores and parasitoids, foliar nyctinasty, much like the enhanced illumination of the full moon, may mitigate feeding by nocturnal herbivores by altering their foraging behaviour. Foliar nyctinasty could also provide a competitive advantage by encouraging herbivores, seeking more cover, to forage on or around non-nyctinastic species. As an added advantage, foliar nyctinasty, by decreasing the temperature between plants through its effects on re-radiation, may slow certain types of ectothermic herbivores making them more vulnerable to predation. Foliar nyctinasty also may not solely be a behavioural adaptation against folivores; by discouraging foraging by granivores, the inclusive fitness of nyctinastic plants may be increased.
Citations
More filters
04 May 2020
TL;DR: A model in which the action potential, followed by water flux (i.e., a loss of turgor pressure) in the pulvinar motor cells is a critical step to enable rapid movement is proposed.
Abstract: As sessile organisms, plants do not possess the nerves and muscles that facilitate movement in most animals. However, several plant species can move quickly in response to various stimuli (e.g., touch). One such plant species, Mimosa pudica L., possesses the motor organ pulvinus at the junction of the leaflet-rachilla, rachilla-petiole, and petiole-stem, and upon mechanical stimulation, this organ immediately closes the leaflets and moves the petiole. Previous electrophysiological studies have demonstrated that a long-distance and rapid electrical signal propagates through M. pudica in response to mechanical stimulation. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal patterns of the action potential in the pulvinar motor cells were found to be closely correlated with rapid movements. In this review, we summarize findings from past research and discuss the mechanisms underlying long-distance signal transduction in M. pudica. We also propose a model in which the action potential, followed by water flux (i.e., a loss of turgor pressure) in the pulvinar motor cells is a critical step to enable rapid movement.
30 citations
Cites background from "The functions of foliar nyctinasty:..."
...Furthermore, a variety of plants such as leguminous species are known to open and fold their leaves (nyctinastic movement) in response to the diurnal light/temperature cycle [2]....
[...]
TL;DR: The apex structure enhances water drainage on the leaf by employing a curvature-controlled mechanism that is based on shaping a balance between reduced capillarity and enhanced gravity components, further enhancing water drainage to the largest degree possible.
Abstract: The rapid removal of rain droplets at the leaf apex is critical for leaves to avoid damage under rainfall conditions, but the general water drainage principle remains unclear. We demonstrate that the apex structure enhances water drainage on the leaf by employing a curvature-controlled mechanism that is based on shaping a balance between reduced capillarity and enhanced gravity components. The leaf apex shape changes from round to triangle to acuminate, and the leaf surface changes from flat to bent, resulting in the increase of the water drainage rate, high-dripping frequencies, and the reduction of retention volumes. For wet tropical plants, such as Alocasia macrorrhiza, Gaussian curvature reconfiguration at the drip tip leads to the capillarity transition from resistance to actuation, further enhancing water drainage to the largest degree possible. The phenomenon is distinct from the widely researched liquid motion control mechanisms, and it offers a specific parametric approach that can be applied to achieve the desired fluidic behavior in a well-controlled way.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between raindrop impact, leaf biomechanics, and water droplet retention of three tree species (Acer saccharinum, Ulmus pumila, and Quercus gambelii).
18 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1999
14 citations
TL;DR: The results showed that the processing framework presented can capture a plant's circadian rhythm in crown and branches down to a spatial resolution of 1 cm, which is well within the acceptable range of TLS point cloud time series.
Abstract: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) can be used to monitor plant dynamics with a frequency of several times per hour and with sub-centimetre accuracy, regardless of the external lighting conditions. TLS point cloud time series measured with short intervals produce large quantities of data that require fast processing techniques that have to be robust to noise inherent in the point clouds. This study presents a general framework to monitor diurnal plant movements from TLS time series. The framework performance was evaluated using TLS time series collected from two Norway maples (Acer platanoides) and a control target, lamp post. The results showed that the presented processing framework can capture diurnal movements of a plant with down to one centimetre spatial resolution. The largest movements in both Norway maples were observed before sunrise and at the outer edges of its crown. The individual cluster movements were up to 0.17 m (99th percentile) for the taller Norway maple and up to 0.11 m (99th percentile) for the smaller Norway maple from their initial positions before sunset.
13 citations
Cites background from "The functions of foliar nyctinasty:..."
...In his review, Minorsky (2019) lists several hypotheses concerning foliar nyctinasty that have been presented over the last century....
[...]
References
More filters
TL;DR: The evidence that N is scarce and perhaps a limiting nutrient for many herbivores, and that in response to this selection pressure, many Herbivores have evolved specific behavioral, morphological, physiological, and other adaptations to cope with and uti lize the ambient N levels of their normal haunts is examined.
Abstract: The nitrogen content of a plant is only one of the many plant characteristics that are vitally important to herbivores. However, because of its central role in all metabolic processes as well as in cellular structure and genetic coding, nitrogen is a critical element in the growth of all organisms. Supplementary N often elicits enhanced health, growth, reproduction, and survival in many organisms. This suggests that N is a limiting factor. Since N makes up a large portion of the earth's atmosphere (about 78%), the problem is not an absolute but a relative shortage-that is, a scarcity of usable or metaboliza ble N during critical growth periods (159, 328). Plants encounter shortages of inorganic nitrogen (nitrate and/or ammonium ions); animals experience shortages of organic nitrogen (specific proteins and/or amino acids). This article reviews and examines the evidence (a) that N is scarce and perhaps a limiting nutrient for many herbivores, and (b) that in response to this selection pressure, many herbivores have evolved specific behavioral, morphological, physiological, and other adaptations to cope with and uti lize the ambient N levels of their normal haunts. McNeill & Southwood (201) and White (328) have also reviewed these general questions. There fore, this review explores additional evidence and further develops the fundamental arguments. The review is organized into three major divisions. The first focuses on important sources of variation in plant N (seasonal and ontogenetic trends, different tissues and species, etc) because such variation may be the basis
3,251 citations
"The functions of foliar nyctinasty:..." refers background in this paper
...…is a drawback to having leaves (and seeds and fruits) with high N titres: since the N content of fodder is often a major determinant of food quality (Mattson, 1980; Minkenberg & Fredrix, 1989; Kursar & Coley, 2003), leaves with high N titres are especially desirable to many types of herbivores....
[...]
TL;DR: It is argued that theory on insect-plant interactions cannot progress realistically without consideration of the third trophic level, and plants have many effects, direct and indirect, positive and negative, not only on herbivore but also on the enemies of herbivores.
Abstract: In his recent review of the developing theory of insect-plant interactions, Gilbert (52) identified four major thrusts in research: insect-plant coevolution, host plants as islands, plant apparency and chemical defense, and resource predictability versus evolutionary strategies of insects. From his review it is evident that, with a few exceptions (23, 45, 53, 64), developing theory is addressing primarily a two trophic level system. In reality, of course, all terrestrial communities based on living plants are composed of at least three interacting trophic levels: plants, herbivores, and natural enemies of herbivores. We argue that theory on insect-plant interactions cannot progress realistically without consideration of the third trophic level. A closer look at the mechanisms of interactions reveals a paradox, and plants have many effects, direct and indirect, positive and negative, not only on herbivores but also on the enemies of herbivores. The third trophic level must be considered as part of a plant's battery of defenses against herbivores.
2,260 citations
TL;DR: Leaching as used in this review is defined as the removal of substances from plants by the action of aqueous solutions, such as rain, dew, mist, and fog.
Abstract: Leaching as used in this review is defined as the removal of substances from plants by the action of aqueous solutions, such as rain, dew, mist, and fog. Various specialized terms may be found in the literature to describe specific aspects of the phenomenon.
1,059 citations
"The functions of foliar nyctinasty:..." refers background in this paper
...(b) Reducing the leaching of minerals from leaves Foliar leaching is broadly defined as the removal of substances from plant leaves by action of rain, dew, fog or leaf washing (Tukey, 1970)....
[...]
...Indeed, much of the leachate apparently derives from hydathodes and glandular trichomes (Tukey, 1970)....
[...]
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: In this paper, the dictionary is used as a reference for the use of nouns and verbs in this book. But the dictionary can be used for many purposes. But it is not suitable for children's reading.
Abstract: Introduction How to use this book The dictionary Appendix Acknowledgement of sources Abbreviations and symbols (used in this book).
984 citations
Book•
01 Jun 1972
TL;DR: In this article, the circumnutating movements of seedling plants have been studied and the effects of these movements on the growth and development of seedlings have been discussed, as well as the sensitivity of the radicle of a seed to light and other irritants.
Abstract: Introduction 1. The circumnutating movements of seedling plants 2. General considerations on the movements and growth of seedling plants 3. Sensitiveness of the apex of the radicle to contact and to other irritants 4. The circumnutating movements of the several parts of mature plants 5. Modified circumnutation: climbing plants, epinastic and hyponastic movements 6. Modified circumnutation: sleep or nyctitropic movements, their use, sleep of cotyledons 7. Modified circumnutation: nyctitropic or sleep movements of leaves 8. Modified circumnutation: movements excited by light 9. Sensitiveness of plants to light: its transmitted effects 10. Modified circumnutation: movements excited by gravitation 11. Localised sensitiveness to gravitation and its transmitted effects 12. Summary and concluding remarks Index.
722 citations