法国国家农业、食品和环境研究院（INRAE）的研究人员发现，树木具备一种类似动物肌肉的“张力木”机制，使其能够感知自身形状并通过调整生长来保持直立 1。尽管早在2012年学界已证实植物拥有本体感觉，但其背后的具体生物过程此前一直未知 1。这一新发现阐明了树木如何应对外部干扰，也为培育更直的木材和抗倒伏作物提供了理论基础 1。相关研究成果已发表于《New Phytologist》期刊（DOI: 10.1111/nph.71238）1。
为了验证这一机制，科学家设计了消除重力和光照方向信号的实验，利用旋转平台和全方位照明排除外部干扰 1。实验显示，杨树在被水平放置约10天后开始向上弯曲，随后在新形成的张力木作用下逐渐变直 1。研究者观察到，张力木最初在茎干上侧形成以产生向上的拉力，随后在下侧形成以产生向下的拉力，这种交替作用类似于动物的拮抗肌肉 1。研究人员Bruno Moulia指出，这是木质部分运作的真实感觉运动循环，直接影响木材的质量 1。
Researchers from the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) have discovered that trees possess a mechanism similar to animal muscles, known as tension wood, which enables them to sense their own shape and adjust growth to remain upright. 1 While researchers had already proven in 2012 that plants have proprioception, the underlying biological processes remained unknown until this new study. 1
To isolate gravity and light signals, scientists conducted experiments using rotating platforms and omnidirectional lighting. 1 When poplar stems were placed horizontally, they began curving upward approximately ten days later, subsequently straightening under the influence of newly formed tension wood. 1 The study reveals that tension wood initially forms on the upper side of the stem to pull it upward, and later develops on the lower side to exert downward force, functioning like antagonistic muscles to correct bending. 1
Bruno Moulia noted that this represents a true sensory-motor loop operating within the woody tissue, which impacts wood quality. 1 This discovery helps understand how trees respond to external disturbances and provides a theoretical basis for cultivating straighter timber and crops with greater resistance to lodging. 1 The results were published in the journal New Phytologist (DOI: 10.1111/nph.71238). 1
评论
还没有评论，欢迎留下第一条。