Plants have neither a nervous system nor muscles, even then they respond to stimuli. For example, the leaves of chhui-mui (touch-me-not) plant when touched begin to fold up and droop. (a) How is the information communicated in "touch-me-not" plants? (b) What enables the plant cells to bring out the observable response? (c) Differentiate the movement mentioned above from the movement of tendrils in a pea plant.

(a) The information is communicated in "touch-me-not" plants through electrical-chemical means, where the stimulus is converted into an electrical impulse that travels from cell to cell. (b) The plant cells bring out the observable response by changing the amount of water in them, resulting in swelling or shrinking, and therefore changing shapes. (c) The movement of the leaves of the "touch-me-not" plant is different from the movement of tendrils in a pea plant. The former is a rapid response to touch, while the latter is a slow response to growth.