Membrane potential fluctuations in Chara australis: a characteristic signature of high external sodium
Sabah Al Khazaaly1, N Alan Walker, Mary Jane Beilby
1Plant Membrane Biophysics Group, School of Physics, University of NSW, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Abstract:
We have studied fluctuations in membrane PD in Chara australis at frequencies between 1 and 500 mHz, by classical noise analysis and by inspection of the PD time-course. The former shows (1) a quasi-Lorentzian (1/f (2)) rise of noise power as frequency falls, and (2) a marked increase in noise power when the cell is exposed to high salinity (Chara australis is a salt-sensitive species). The latter shows that, as well as initiating depolarization, exposure to 50 mM Na as either chloride or sulfate usually initiates a continuous but random series of small depolarizations which gives rise to the increase in noise and whose mechanism is discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Resting Membrane Potential
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...
Resting Membrane Potential
The Inside of a Neuron is More Negative
The membrane potential of a cell can be measured by inserting a microelectrode into a cell and comparing the charge to a reference electrode in the extracellular fluid. The...
The Resting Membrane Potential
Resting Potential Decay
At rest, the K+ is the main ion that moves across the membrane through...
Potentiometry: Membrane Electrodes
Action Potentials


