Thigmotropism

Thigmotropism is a movement in which a plant or fungus moves or grows in response to touch or contact stimuli. The word thigmotropism comes from the Greek words for "touch" (thigma) and "turn" (tropos).

Overview

Thigmotropism is a type of tropism, which is a response to a stimulus in the environment. Other types of tropism include phototropism, which is a response to light, and gravitropism, which is a response to gravity. Thigmotropism is often observed in climbing plants, which will wrap around a support, such as a stick or a trellis, in response to the touch stimulus.

Mechanism

The mechanism of thigmotropism involves the plant hormone auxin. When a plant is touched, auxin is redistributed to the side of the plant that was touched, causing cells on that side to elongate and the plant to bend towards the stimulus. This allows the plant to grow around objects and find support.

Examples

Examples of thigmotropism include the growth of vine tendrils, which will coil around a support when they come into contact with it, and the closing of the Venus flytrap's trap, which is triggered by the touch of an insect.

See also

• Phototropism
• Gravitropism
• Hydrotropism
• Chemotropism

References

Thigmotropism Resources
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