How dandelions make decisions
An international team of scientists has studied the biological processes in dandelions and discovered the mechanism by which they “make decisions”, writes the journal “Nature Communications”.
Dandelions are known to respond to changes in weather. When it is dry and windy, they open their “parachutes” with seeds – ready to fly and cover a distance of up to 100 kilometers, or close them when it rains. Until recently, however, this mechanism has not been studied.
Each dandelion seed is connected by a thin tube with about 100 hairs that form a parachute-like structure.
It turns out that parachutes are opened or closed with the help of a type of drive that converts signals into motion, without losing energy in the process.
The signals to the propulsion mechanism come directly from the parachutes, which analyze the humidity. This means that they “decide” whether to stay in place or fly when the weather is dry.
For the purposes of the study, the specialists placed dandelions in a room with controlled humidity. The changes that have taken place in the plants have been recorded with the help of a high-speed camera and a microscope.
Researchers have found that the propulsion mechanism has a unique radial structure to which the hairs of the parachutes are attached to allow them to move simultaneously. When its shape changes, the hairs begin to move and the parachutes open or close.
Knowing what makes dandelions spread can help scientists understand how plants respond to climate change, as well as creating new “soft” robots.
