epinasty question

[Jon Monroe]

I've long wondered if there is a function for epinasty.  The mechanism by which
some flooded plants behave this way, and respond in a similar way to applied
ethylene, is clear and in all of the textbooks (ACC oxidase requires oxygen so
ACC accumulates in flooded roots, moves up to the shoots where, in the presence
of oxygen, it can be converted to ethylene), but there is never a mention of
WHY plants behave this way.  Perhaps there is no evolved role and finding
support for that sort of hypothesis is just hard to come by...  Does anyone
know?

Thanks.

Jon (yep, lecturing on ethylene tomorrow morning...)


-----------------------------------------------------------------
  Jonathan Monroe	 	 voice:  540-568-6649 (office)
  Department of Biology                  540-568-6045 (lab)
  James Madison University       fax:    540-568-3333
  Harrisonburg, VA 22807-0001	 e-mail: monroejd at jmu.edu
    http://www.jmu.edu/biology/biofac/jmonroe/jmonroe.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------