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| (Photo by Elb2000) |
If you're a math whiz now, perhaps you were Albert Einstein in the last life. But then again, you might have been a daisy.
Scientists are now discovering that plants "do complex arithmetic calculations to make sure they have enough food to get them through the night" (as do last-minute shoppers at the corner
convenience store).
London Reuters reports on the "square roots" of these botanical beings.
It turns out that "plants adjust their rate of starch consumption to prevent starvation during the night when they are unable to feed themselves with energy from the sun."
How do they do this? There
are mechanisms within leaves that not only measure how much starch has been stored, but also "estimate the length of time until dawn."
This information is then utilized by the plant to calculate incremental "nibbling" rates. It's too bad that humans can't pay as much heed to their own internal time clocks regarding the rate of starch consumption…
Resources
http://news.yahoo.com/square-roots-scientists-plants-good-math-040924317.html
Copyright June 25, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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