A Mechanism Underlying the Electrical Polarity Detection of Sensitive Plant, Mimosa Pudica

Abstract

Natural indicators of the electrical polarity of a direct current (DC) source is limited to semiconductor based diodes and transistors. Recently a novel bio-natural indicator of the polarity of a DC source have been reported. Mimosa Pudica or sensitive plant is found to be a natural detector of a DC source polarity, however the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is not known. This paper aims to develop a physical and engineering based model to explain the mechanism of this phenomenon. This model suggests that spatial placement of ion release sites along the pathway of electric signal is crucial to obtain polarity effects. A combination of this spatial placement of ion release sites and a delay in the opening of K+ ion channel with respect to Cl- ion channel can explain this one-way switch behavior.