Gravitropism (or geotropism) is a turning or growth movement by a plant or fungus in response to gravity. Charles Darwin was one of the first Europeans to document that roots show positive gravitropism and stems show negative gravitropism. That is, roots grow in the direction of gravitational pull (i.e., downward) and stems grow in the opposite direction (i.e., upwards). This behaviour can be easily demonstrated with a potted plant. When laid onto its side, the growing parts of the stem begin to display negative gravitropism, bending (biologists say, turning; see tropism) upwards. Herbaceous (non-woody) stems are capable of a small degree of actual bending, but most of the redirected movement occurs as a consequence of root or stem growth in a new direction.

If the root cap is removed, root growth ceases to respond to gravity. The root cap is vital for gravitropism since it contains cells with sensors called statoliths, which are amyloplasts packed with starch. Amyloplasts are a type of plastid similar to chloroplasts. Statoliths are dense organelles that settle to the lowest part of the root cap cells in response to a change in the gravity vector. This initiates differential cell expansion in the root elongation zone causing a reorientation of the root growth (see below). The location of the elongation zone is many cells above the root cap, so intercellular signal transduction must occur from the site of gravity perception, in the root cap, to the growth response in the elongation zone. As of 2002, the nature of this signal is an active area of research in plant biology.

Roots bend in response to gravity due to a regulated movement of the plant hormone auxin known as polar auxin transport. In roots, an increase in the concentration of auxin will inhibit cell expansion, therefore, the redistribution of auxin in the root can initiate differential growth in the elongation zone resulting in root curvature.

A similar mechanism is known to occur in plant stems except that the shoot cells have a different dose response curve with respect to auxin. In shoots, increasing the local concentration of auxin promotes cell expansion; this is the opposite of root cells.

The differential sensitivity to auxin helps explain Darwin's original observation that stems and roots respond in the opposite way to the gravity vector. In both roots and stems auxin accumulates towards the gravity vector on the lower side. In roots, this results in the inhibition of cell expansion on the lower side and the concomitant curvature of the roots towards gravity (positive gravitropism). In stems, the auxin also accumulates on the lower side, however in this tissue it increases cell expansion and results in the shoot curving up (statolithic gravitropism).

Gravitational Biology is the study of the effects gravity has on living organisms. Throughout the history of the Earth life has evolved to survive changing conditions, such as changes in the climate and habitat. The only constant factor in evolution since life first began on Earth is the force of gravity. As a consequence, all biological processes are accustomed to the ever-present force of gravity and even small variations in this force can have significant impact on the health and function of organisms.

For More Information: Tropism: K-12 Experiments & Background Information

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