TORSDAG 25. NOVEMBER 2004
Eksperimentelle
og teoretiske studier av svingninger i planters transpirasjon
Plants
often show an oscillatory transpiration and water can be transported through
the plants and into the atmopshere with a period of, typically, 40 minutes. The
main part of the water regulation occurs in the socalled stomata of the leaves.
The surface of the first leaf of the oat plant typically contains about 50
stomates per mm2. These openings are usually synchronized in their opening and
closing, forming the overall pattern of the oscillatory transpiration.
Measurements
of the water transport show that very stable oscillations can be found under
some conditions. However, changing the experimental conditions can lead to
subharmonic oscillations and to even more complex wave patterns. The system
might even be possible to change into a chaotic state.
The
seminar will discuss experimental techniques to record the oscillations, to
study the synchronization of the different parts of the leaf surfaces and show
some different types of period doubling etc. Results from analysis of
non-linear systems will be used to describe some of the results.