 |
| Previous Image | Next Image |
| Description: M.C. Drew, of Letcombe Laboratory in England, conducted the first of what would lead to many studies on the ability of plants to alter their root growth in response to small-scale variation in nutrient distributions (Drew 1975). Drew grew barley plants in pots filled with sand, through which he continuously irrigated a nutrient solution. In a very clever experimental design, Drew divided the pots into three vertical compartments, and was able to give different parts of the root system different levels of nutrients. What he found was striking. Plants grew roots relatively uniformly in response to a uniform distribution of nutrients, while they proliferated roots in zones of high nutrients compared to zones of low nutrients. In other words, plants were able to alter the distribution of their foraging organs in response to differences in the distribution of resources! This is a form of optimal foraging.
Picture Stats: Views: 1063 Filesize: 64.76kB Height: 953 Width: 670 Source: https://biology-forums.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=1714 |