title: A down-to-earth model of gravisensing.
abstract: The statolith hypothesis for gravity sensing is the most accepted model of gravity sensing in plants. However, the lukewarm acceptance of the statolith hypothesis among plant physiologists is most likely due to inertia and not due to any one experiment done over the past one hundred years that unambiguously pitted the statolith hypothesis against any of the competing hypotheses. Here we emphasize the weaknesses of the statolith hypothesis and suggest that the gravitational pressure hypothesis is superior in describing gravisensing in all plant cells.
authors.affiliation: Section of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wayne
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Staves
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D015220:Calcium Channels; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D000460:Chlorophyta; D019245:Compressive Strength; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000502:physiology; D004735:Energy Transfer; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology; D006112:Gravitation; D018466:Gravity Sensing / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D018087:Plastids / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels