Avoidance and rheotropic responses in phycomyces. Evidence for an 'avoidance gas" mechanism

If a mature sporangiophore is placed next to a barrier that is moving in a clockwise direction, it grows both away from the barrier and into the wind; the wind is generated by the moving barrier itself. When the barrier is moving in a counterclockwise direction, the sporangiophore grows towards both the barrier and the wind. The net direction of growth appears to be the vector sum of the rheotropic response and the avoidance aiming error and does not involve the classic stationary-barrier avoidance response. Our experiments all support the suggestion that the avoidance response, the rheotropic response and the variety of reported wind responses can be explained by the presence of a self-emitted, growth-simulating avoidance gas. We present data that suggest that it is the direction of the net flux (mass transfer) of this gas that determines both the direction and the magnitude of the sporangiophore growth. We further suggest that the region of the cell wall showing maximum mass transfer will show a minimum growth rate, i.e., the direction of growth will always be in the direction of maximum transfer. If water is the avoidance gas, then it would follow that the total hydration of the cell wall in an aqueous salt solution should result in cell wall softening; cell wall softening has been correlated directly to cell wall growth. Using the Instron technique, we now show that submerging the entire sporangiophore in an aqueous salt solution for 4 min causes an increase in cell wall extensibility.