Chemotropism
Chemotropism
Chemotropism (pronunciation: /kɪˈmɒtrəpɪz(ə)m/) is a type of tropism that involves the directional growth of an organism in response to a chemical stimulus.
Etymology
The term "chemotropism" is derived from the Greek words "chemia" meaning "chemistry" and "tropos" meaning "turn". It was first used in the late 19th century to describe the movement of plants towards or away from certain chemicals.
Definition
Chemotropism is defined as the growth or movement of a plant or animal cell or organism in response to a chemical stimulus. The movement can be either towards the source of the chemical stimulus (positive chemotropism) or away from it (negative chemotropism).
Examples
An example of positive chemotropism is the growth of a pollen tube towards the ovules in a flower, guided by chemical signals from the ovules. An example of negative chemotropism is the movement of certain organisms away from toxic substances.
Related Terms
- Tropism: A general term for the directional response of an organism to an environmental stimulus.
- Phototropism: The growth of an organism in response to a light stimulus.
- Geotropism: The growth of an organism in response to gravity.
- Hydrotropism: The growth of an organism in response to a water stimulus.
- Thigmotropism: The growth of an organism in response to a touch or physical contact stimulus.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Chemotropism
- Wikipedia's article - Chemotropism
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