The Restless Plant

225 Pages·2011·3.054 MB·English

by  Dov Koller, Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh

The Restless Plant

T H E R E S T L E S S P L A N T
DOV KOLLER
Edited by Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh
Harvard University Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, En gland 2011
Copyright © 2011 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Koller, Dov.
The restless plant / Dov Koller ; edited by Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978- 0- 674- 04863- 8 (alk. paper)
1. Plants—Irritability and movements.
2. Tropisms. I. Van Volkenburgh, Elizabeth. II. Title.
QK771.K58 2011
575.9'7—dc22 2010013249
In memory of Dov Koller (1925– 2007)—
scientist and teacher; husband, father, and grandfather

Contents
Foreword by Daphne Koller ix
Author’s Preface xi
Editor’s Preface xiii
1 A Guided Tour of Plant Movements 1
2 Motors 22
3 Gravity- Guided Movements 46
4 The Underground World 68
5 Light- Driven Movements 91
6 Tracking the Sun 114
7 Prey- Driven Movements 145
8 Liberation Movements: Leaving the Nest 158
Conclusion by Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh 175
Glossary 181
Further Reading 199
Index 201

Foreword
This book is the product of two of my father’s passions. The fi rst was his
passion, as a researcher, for understanding the miracle of plant move-
ment, a topic that was the focus of his research for over 25 years. The
second was his passion for teaching—f or reaching out to people and con-
veying the beauty found in science and nature. My father was struck by
the fact that, although plants are all around us, relatively few people real-
ize how complex and rich the plant world is. Although the remarkable
phenomenon of plant motion was fi rst explored by Darwin in 1880, this
concept and all the rich understanding that has emerged since Darwin’s
revelation are nevertheless unfamiliar to most people. This book is my
father’s attempt to make these ideas accessible to more people, and thereby
reveal to them another facet of the beauty of the world.
This book consumed my father for two years. He worked on it day and
night, even in the hospital where he spent a large part of the last months
of his life. Days before his death, he produced a complete draft of the
text, but one that was lacking fi gures, references, and an index. On behalf
of my family, we would like to thank the people who helped, both before
and after my father’s death, to bring this book to completion. Professor
Winslow Briggs and Professor Jaime Kiegel had many useful discussions
with my father in the pro cess of writing the book. Professor Roger Han-
garter and the anonymous reviewer made valuable comments on the fi rst
draft of this manuscript. Dov Bock produced the beautiful illustrations that
help visualize the concepts in the book. Professor Alfred Mayer stepped
forward after my father’s death and generously provided tremendous help
in detailed comments and suggestions regarding the fi gures and references.