Interesting Fact About Climbing Vines

[Hamad Ahmed Kisana]

wow...interesting sir...you have good knowledge of geography...

[M Farooq]

Even in Wisteria the Chenesis variety more commonly found tends to climb counterclockwise and the Floribunda variety also known as the Japanese Wisteria exhibits the clockwise behaviour.

The reason behind that sir is the law of physics, the Coriolis effect and how individual atoms move when either in the southern or northern hemisphere.

It is important to know that all climbing plants native of the northern hemisphere (north) wind and twist in an anti-clockwise direction and all of those native of the southern hemisphere (south) wind in a clockwise direction. It is the same direction of rotation we see when we pull the plug of a bath tub filled with water. In the north water will turn in an anti-clockwise direction and in the south it turns in the opposite (clock-wise) way. This phenomenon is caused by the earth's rotation. Deeper within an object the atoms and the very air/wind around them are influenced by the magnetic forces at play.

Those were good plausible hypotheses which have been tested by scientists. Tahir sb and I were discussing this issue privately yesterday but it turns out that the web is full of incorrect assumptions by associating Earth's rotation ( lets say roughly Coriolis effects) to climbing vines and the direction of swirling in sink water. In fact, water can rotate in both ways, clockwise and anticlockwise in sink or a bath tub regardless of the location. It might be unsafe to trust the web right away. Some reliable websites include:

1. http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/questi ... number=516

2. And this was the original study about vines climbing habits, since it is not open access I did not include it. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... ated=false

The end story was The predominance of right-handed helical growth in climbing plants cannot be explained by hypotheses attempting to link plant growth behaviour and global location. One alternative hypothesis for our findings is that the widespread phenomenon of anticlockwise twining arises as a function of microtubule orientation operating at a subcellular level.. The published results state that 90% of climbing vines wind anti-clockwise (or are right handed). If it were a geographical effect, we would have a 50-50 distribution. Hopefully we would find the reason one day.

Regards.

[mikhurram]

Thank you for drawing our attention to a puzzle that remains unsolved

[newton]

Ah,,,,,,sweet mysteries of life!......

In a perfect drain under laboratory conditions yes its scientifically proven that the water is effected by the Coriolis force, but as most of us have imperfect drains, the water is actually effected more by the shape of the basin. In fact, the Coriolis force can really only be noticed when things are moving either at great speeds or over great distances. This is why when you are on a ship and firing a cannon ball you need to take this force into effect. Its also scientifically proven with hurricanes and cyclones consistently exhibiting the same preferences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect
Secondly North of the equator, the sun moves south of true vertical on its path from east to west. (I know, I know, it's the earth that's moving but please humour me for a while..). If the plants are using the sun to orient themselves as they twine, couldn't this also explain the differential auxin concentrations. Light source, gravity and polarity all influence the auxin as its pumped asymmetrically to the side of root of stem, it results in asymmetric growth (one side grows faster) and bending of the root or stem in response to the stimuli. However to support your cited research twining can be interrupted by exposure to chloroform which impedes auxin transport.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_auxin_transport

Of course, if you lie on your back and look UP, the rotation is reversed! however its also present in molluscs, as well -- conch shells all exhibit the same"chiral" preference). Such consistency argues strongly in favor of descent from a common hemisphere. However I think it is probably way more complicated than most of us appreciate. By the way are you left or right handed !!!!

Regards
Ifzal

[M Farooq]

Very interesting issues Ifzal sb. There are at least two experts on Coriolis forces here (expectedly apnay Farahan sb and one more who wishes to remain anonymous). My knowledge is limited in this area. You are right about swirling directions in a "perfect" sink ... it has been demonstrated in the prestigious journal Science. However, in our ordinary sinks, drains and bath tubs, both clock wise and anticlockwise "whirlpool" directions are seen (including myself, several times).
The topic of auxin polarity is very nice as well...and it tells us that our understanding of life forms in very incomplete and "Koi toh hey jo nizaam e hasti challa raha hey". And that raises another question: Do roots feel the gravitational direction?

By the way are you left or right handed !

Like most vines, I am right handed :-). And since you are interested in chirality you must have read that only one chiral type of amino acids are present in ALL life forms (the left handed stereoisomers, although the right handed also exist) This is another miracle from Allah.

[newton]

In a famous hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him), the virtue of seeking of knowledge is expressed:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say, “Allah will make the path to the Garden easy for anyone who travels a path in search of knowledge. Angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of pleasure for what he is doing. Everyone in the heavens and the earth ask forgiveness for a man of knowledge, even the fish in the water … (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi) - Hadith compiler, Islamic scholar, Imam Born 821~ (209 AH). Died 892 (279 AH)

I learn something new every day, thank you

Regards
Ifzaal

[Munir]

In a famous hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him), the virtue of seeking of knowledge is expressed:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say, “Allah will make the path to the Garden easy for anyone who travels a path in search of knowledge. Angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of pleasure for what he is doing. Everyone in the heavens and the earth ask forgiveness for a man of knowledge, even the fish in the water … (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi) - Hadith compiler, Islamic scholar, Imam Born 821~ (209 AH). Died 892 (279 AH)

I learn something new every day, thank you

Regards
Ifzaal

Being an obligation,it should be considered as one form of "Ibadat",which is life long.

[Mustansir Billah]

In a famous hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him), the virtue of seeking of knowledge is expressed:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) say, “Allah will make the path to the Garden easy for anyone who travels a path in search of knowledge. Angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of pleasure for what he is doing. Everyone in the heavens and the earth ask forgiveness for a man of knowledge, even the fish in the water … (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi) - Hadith compiler, Islamic scholar, Imam Born 821~ (209 AH). Died 892 (279 AH)

I learn something new every day, thank you

Regards
Ifzaal

Indeed. and infact momins new day is better than its past day.

[M Farooq]

Seeking knowledge was once upon a time the trait of muslim scholars, in the so called golden era of Islamic science. I was really surprised to see Ibn-e-Haytham's Optics, and Handbooks of Conics sitting in a major Canadian library among other books where real Netwon's (no pun intended for newton sb here) "Opticks" is also found.

[Tahir Khan]

Any final verdicts on vine twining ???

My initial final conclusion is that it is inherent in a seed that how much a the plant will grow, flower, fruit...for vines..what would be the height of the plant, whether it will twine or cling...in which direction it will twist and turn etc. and what would be the total life span...

A seed is a total package...it will grow into the same plant even if it is sown after hundreds of years...it will not change its nature with the change of hemispheres or magnetic fields.

What do you think ???