The long term goal of this research is to investigate whether there is compelling or conclusive evidence of computation in stomatal physiology. Stomata are tiny pores on the surfaces of leaves that control CO2 and H2O fluxes between the leaf and the atmosphere. Because stomata have the potential to interact collectively to process physiological information for the whole leaf, the first step in this research is to establish that stomata do indeed behave like a connected network. We will quantify spatial and temporal variation in stomatal conductance in Xanthium strumarium L. (cocklebur) using chlorophyll fluorescence imaging and mathematical analysis techniques such as power spectral analysis, mutual information, and approximate entropy. Sequences of images will be analyzed for evidence of various long-range spatial and temporal correlations that have been predicted by computer simulations to characterize collective networks.
The emergence of complexity from simple networks is one of the most intensely investigated areas in contemporary science. Yet, there is no 'real' system in which the details of how this emergence occurs have been established. This research has the potential to do so and to provide insight into how information is processed in the biological world. Undergraduate and graduate students will be trained in the interdisciplinary fields of experimental biology, dynamical systems, and computational science.
