Cyclic voltammetry of volatile memristors in the Venus flytrap: short-term memory.

Area of Science:

• Plant electrophysiology
• Biophysics
• Materials science

Background:

• Plants exhibit forms of memory, including short-term and long-term.
• Memristors, or "resistors with memory," are potential candidates for biological memory mechanisms.
• Previous research indicated memristor-like electrical responses in plants following bipolar electrostimulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the electrical responses of the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) to unipolar electrostimulation.
• To determine if these responses exhibit characteristics of volatile memristors.
• To explore the implications of memristor discovery in plants for understanding plant electrical phenomena.

Main Methods:

• Electrostimulation of Venus flytraps using unipolar sinusoidal and triangular periodic electrical trains.
• Analysis of induced electrical responses for memristor fingerprints.
• Comparison of responses to known volatile and non-volatile memristor characteristics.

Main Results:

• Unipolar electrostimulation induced electrical responses in the Venus flytrap.
• These responses displayed characteristics consistent with volatile memristors.
• Evidence suggests the presence of generic volatile memristors in plants.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates the presence of volatile memristor-like electrical activity in the Venus flytrap.
• This discovery opens new avenues for modeling and understanding electrical phenomena and memory in plants.
• Highlights the potential of memristors as a fundamental mechanism for plant memory.