Are snowdrops thermogenic?
Mary Sue Ittner (Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:17:58 PST)

Hi,

Jon Suzuki's message to our list was held since it included an
attachment, a paper with the title:
The Corpse Flower: A Thermographer's Perspective
Steve Mirowski Steven Kramer Advantage Infrared

It looks like an interesting paper. I found this summary by searching:
The Amorphophallus Titanum, Titan Arum (the Corpse Flower) is a rare
specimen with limited physical access that experiences metabolic heat
generation. These elements make this an enticing investigation to a
thermographer. The Corpse Flower is a unique life form with an air of
mystification, and questions remain regarding its thermal functions
and their purpose. The approach this paper takes is strictly from a
thermographer's perspective, utilizing limited interdisciplinary
knowledge of botany and entomology. The results of our investigation
confirm that the plant generates heat both at the tip of the spadix
and inside at the base where the spathe and spadix intersect. The
latter indicates further confirmation of the common hypothesis that
the plant intentionally smells like a rotting flesh in order to
attract bugs for pollination. However, the former is not consistent
with this hypothesis. The tip of the spadix is not the source of the
pollen and is not likely to aid in propagating the stench any
further. However, it may indicate the possibility that some of the
symbiotic insects, in which the plant relies, actually see in
infrared. As can be seen in the thermal images, the tip of the spadix
would act like a visual beacon for locating the source of what the
insect smells. This kind of investigation could lead to a better
understanding of ecological interconnectivity and the potential for
increased opportunities within the realm of scientific investigation.

If someone has a link to the whole paper, please let us know.
Otherwise you could email Jon (PRIVATELY please) and ask for a copy.
I don't think we could add this to the wiki to download from there
unless we had permission from the author. Message from Jon below.

Mary Sue

From: Jon Suzuki <jysuzuki@gmail.com>

Dear Carolyn and Arnold,

I also am interested in thermogenesis. I had a person from an
infrared camera try to detect heat differences on tropical
aroids. The particular ones I had tested did not show heat
differences, but even plants that do produce heat usually produce it
during a particular developmental time period. I was really
interested in the heat produced by lotus blossoms.

Keep on it and I think you might find something interesting.

Someone sent me this on the "corpse flower" an example of the
decaying meat flower per Arnold.

Aloha

Jon