Page:Insectivorous Plants, Darwin, 1899.djvu/68



It is an important fact that when an organic or inorganic object is placed on the glands of the disc, and the exterior tentacles are thus caused to bend inwards, not only is the secretion from the glands of the latter increased in quantity and rendered acid, but the contents of the cells of their pedicels become aggregated. The process always commences in the glands, although these have not as yet touched any object. Some force or influence must, therefore, be transmitted from the central glands to the exterior tentacles, first to near their bases causing this part to bend, and next to the glands causing them to secrete more copiously. After a short time the glands, thus indirectly excited, transmit or reflect some influence down their own pedicels, inducing aggregation in cell beneath cell to their bases.

It seems at first sight a probable view that aggregation is due to the glands being excited to secrete more copiously, so that sufficient fluid is not left in their cells, and in the cells of the pedicels, to hold the protoplasm in solution. In favour of this view is the fact that aggregation follows the inflection of the tentacles, and during the movement the glands generally, or, as I believe, always, secrete more copiously than they did before. Again, during the re-expansion of the tentacles, the glands secrete less freely, or quite cease to secrete, and the aggregated masses of protoplasm are then redissolved. Moreover, when leaves are immersed in dense vegetable solutions, or in glycerine, the fluid within the gland-cells passes outwards, and there is aggregation; and when the leaves are afterwards immersed in water, or in an innocuous fluid of less specific gravity than water, the protoplasm is redissolved, and this, no doubt, is due to endosmose.

Opposed to this view, that aggregation is caused by the outward passage of fluid from the cells, are the following facts. There seems no close relation between the degree of increased secretion and that of aggregation. Thus a particle of sugar added to the secretion round a gland causes a much greater increase of secretion, and much less aggregation, than does a particle of carbonate of ammonia given in the same manner. It does not appear probable that pure water would cause much exosmose, and yet aggregation often follows from an immersion in water of between 16 hrs. and 24 hrs., and always after from 24 hrs. to 48 hrs. Still less