The tropical plant bashful mimosa (Mimosa pudica) continues to pose new questions for scientists. Recently it turned out that it is able to distinguish living beings from inanimate objects.
This herbaceous perennial plant with a height of 30 to 150 cm comes from the tropical regions of South America, where it is considered a weed; while all over the world it is cultivated as a decorative one. Mimosa blooms from May to September with small purple inflorescences in the form of balls, which are located on long peduncles. Pollination occurs with the help of wind or insects, after flowering hook-shaped curved beans are formed.
A distinctive feature of the bashful mimosa is its reaction to a potential threat. When the roots are damaged, the plant releases a "cocktail" of toxic substances, including methanesulfonic, lactic, pyruvic acids and various sulfur compounds; this often leads to the poisoning of livestock in pastures.
Another amazing property that gave the plant its name was its ability to fold leaves in response to touch. The mechanism of this action is known to scientists. At the base of the petioles, water membranes are located, and sensory areas on the leaves respond to pressure. When touched, the water rushes to the place of contact, and under this weight, the leaves fold and fall down.
Recently, Australian scientists have discovered that bashful mimosa is capable of self-learning. According to a study published in the journal Oecologia, mimosa "memorizes" the characteristics of each contact, and if it does not pose a threat, it will not waste energy on folding leaves. This behavior is characteristic of animals: with the help of the nervous system, they not only receive information, but can also use it in the future. The behavioral response of a plant, taking into account the data accumulated by it, was described for the first time using this example.
The new study was conducted by specialists from the University of New York at Albany. They learned that shy mimosa discerns well its potential enemy. In the course of the experiments, it was established: in those cases when a person touched its roots, the air was filled with a mixture of hydrogen sulfide and other substances, while contact with metal, glass and other objects did not trigger the mechanism for generating "chemical protection".
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As a result, biologists have found another conceptual difference between the bashful mimosa and other representatives of the fauna: if most plants that use poison for their protection release it from their aboveground part, then the object of their study does this with the help of their roots, on which tiny nodules are located. Moreover: they not only produce poison, but also analyze the chemical composition of the environment, "making a decision" about the potential danger.
Anastasia Barinova
