A new study has found that gravity changes have a direct impact on the reproductive process in plants.
According to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Montreal, gravity changes directly affect the reproductive process in plants. This is because gravity is responsible for modulating traffic on the intracellular "highways" that ensure the growth and functionality of the male reproductive organ in plants.
"Just like during human reproduction, the sperm cells in plants are delivered to the egg by a cylindrical tool. Unlike the delivery tool in animals, the device used during plant sex consists of a single cell, and only two sperm cells are discharged during each delivery event," said Professor Anja Geitmann of the university's Department of biology. "Our findings offer new insight into how life evolved on Earth and are significant with regards to human health, as a traffic jam on these highways that also exist in human cells can cause cancer and illnesses such as Alzheimer's."
The insides of a cell in plants and animals look like small factories and are called organelles. These organelles are responsible for energy production, manufacturing and waste processing. To enable communication between these organelles and the other parts of the insides of cells, plants and animals develop a network of intracellular "highways." According to researchers, these "highways" are usually very busy in plants
Geitmann explains that previous studies have already proven that plants, animals and humans have evolved from Earth's gravity and have the ability to sense its presence. Now research is being conducted on studying the effect of this gravity on the cells of the human and plant bodies.
"Intracellular transport processes are particularly sensitive to disturbance, with dramatic consequences for cell functioning. How these processes are affected by a change in gravity is poorly understood," he said.
