Elison B. Blancaflor is a researcher in plant growth and environmental responses. A 1998 study led by Elison B. Blancaflor used laser ablation to remove defined cells from the root cap of Arabidopsis thaliana and measured the resulting gravitropism. This tested the role of particular cells more precisely than removing the entire root cap.[ref]
Removing inner root-cap columella cells strongly reduced bending without reducing axial growth to the same extent, while removing some peripheral cells had little effect on curvature. Continued growth matters as a control: loss of bending could otherwise reflect an inability to grow at all. Comparing the position of the removed cells with the time course of bending linked a local cellular perturbation to a whole-organ response.[ref]
Mapping the Functional Roles of Cap Cells in the Response of Arabidopsis Primary Roots to Gravity by Elison B. Blancaflor and others. Abstract and growth controls; Plant Physiology 116, 213–222, 1998
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