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Growth responses of Phycomyces to polarized light stimuli

W SHROPSHIRE

    Science (New York, N.Y.)
    |August 7, 1959
    PubMed

    Insights

    Stimuli effectiveness in air varies with polarization direction. This dependence vanishes when sporangiophores are in a medium matching protoplasm

    Area of Science:

    • Photobiology
    • Biophysics

    Background:

    • The response of biological systems to light stimuli can be influenced by light polarization.
    • Understanding these interactions is crucial for deciphering photoreceptor function.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the role of light polarization in the effectiveness of stimuli on sporangiophores.
    • To differentiate between Fresnel reflection and dichroism as mechanisms for polarization dependence.

    Main Methods:

    • Experiments were conducted with sporangiophores in air and immersed in a medium with a refractive index similar to protoplasm.
    • The effectiveness of stimuli was measured in relation to the direction of light polarization.

    Main Results:

    • Stimuli effectiveness in air showed a clear dependence on the direction of light polarization.
    • This dependence was eliminated when sporangiophores were immersed in a medium with a refractive index matching their protoplasm.

    Conclusions:

    • The observed polarization dependence is attributed to Fresnel reflection losses at the interface.
    • The findings suggest that dichroism of oriented photoreceptors is not the primary mechanism involved in this phenomenon.
    Keywords:
    FUNGILIGHT/effects

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