This research is an analysis of the explosive seed dispersal of Impatiens pallida fruit. Data was taken using high-speed video and analyzed using LoggerPro video analysis software. From the videos we discerned a qualitative model for dehiscence, a description of how the process unfolds, and from our data we deduced quantitative values for the velocity, momentum, and energy of the system. We were also able to glean a lower bound of Young’s modulus E of the fruit tissue. These results and the tools of analysis that generate them are the foundation for the development of a theoretical model of the plants motion. Our results also provide insights into Impatiens pallida’s evolutionary history by explaining its seed dispersal mechanism. A secondary benefit of this research is providing ecologist’s with new tools to analyze ultra-rapid movements in plants and fungi. These tools of analysis will assist in defining a plant’s or fungi’s evolutionary context and the ecological significance rapid motion plays.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:CLAREMONT/oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:pomona_theses-1025 |
| Date | 19 September 2008 |
| Creators | Del Campo, Lua |
| Publisher | Scholarship @ Claremont |
| Source Sets | Claremont Colleges |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Pomona Senior Theses |
| Rights | © 2008 Lua Del Campo |
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