Plant neurobiology: what do plants think?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Plants do not have a brain and nerve cells; in comparison with animals, they seem to be insensitive. However, biologists know that representatives of this group of multicellular organisms receive information from the outside and process it, they can communicate with each other using chemical signals.

Is it worth talking about the "intelligence" of plants?

What will replace the nerves and the brain

Delicate white flowers of the oak tree anemone are the decoration of the forests of the middle zone. It is not uncommon to see her petals fold together, although the sunny day is in full swing. So wait for the rain. By removing the flowers, the small plant protects them from water and gusts of wind.

In the world of flora, there are many such mechanisms to adapt to changing weather conditions, protect yourself from pests, heal wounds, and obtain nutrients on the spot.

The organs of perception in plants are special receptor cells, ion channels in cell membranes that transmit electrical signals, special bodies that have some properties of neurons.

To exchange information between different parts of the body, various mediator compounds are produced: hormones, chemical compounds, small non-coding RNAs. All these mechanisms successfully replace the senses and the nervous system for plants.

Sensory perception of plants was actively studied until the 1970s, and then gradually faded away.

In 2005, Stefano Mansuko from the University of Florence (Italy) and František Baluschka from the University of Bonn (Germany) decided that there was a lot of data about the "intelligence" of plants and it was time to activate this direction.

They called it "plant neuroscience". Of course, this is a metaphor - we are talking about the study of reactions and responses to external stimuli.

The followers of plant neurobiology believe that in relation to flora, we can talk about memory, the system of accumulation, storage and processing of information, as well as the mechanism of decision-making. According to some scientists, this does not require a brain and nervous system, as in animals.

The scientific community as a whole is critical of this area. At the same time, work in the field of communication and signaling systems of plants is now at the forefront of science.

Meadow communal apartment

One of the major discoveries of recent years is that plants are able to recognize their neighbors. To do this, they use high-beam red light, chemical signals, secondary metabolites.

Knowledge of the surrounding species helps the plant survive: avoid shade, defend against enemies, choose the best food.

Plants perceive chemical compounds - what we call odors from neighboring species. They are transmitted through the air and underground by roots.

Chinese scientists in the journal Nature Communications cite the results of experiments with wheat. Studies have shown that this plant distinguishes between the smells of about a hundred different species growing side by side through the roots.

In response, it releases its own substances to regulate the relationship - for example, something like antibiotics if there are competitors nearby. As a result, wheat inhibits their growth.

Of course, this method of chemical communication is not analogous to the sense of smell in animals, but plants can definitely not only emit, but also perceive odors.

For example, the parasitic bindweed, dodder, finds the host plant by volatile elements and stretches in its direction.

Wormwood wounded by pests warns relatives of the danger of an enhanced smell.

The perennial herb goldenrod is capable of itself perceiving chemical compounds (pheromones) secreted by males of the variegated fly luring the female. A fly larva deposited on a plant causes a disease in the form of a gall - a large ball.

Scientists have suggested that goldenrod smells flies and strengthens the immune system to fight off the inevitable disease. To do this, the leaves of the grass increase the content of jasmonic acid, which repels pests and helps to heal tissue damage.

Good hearing

In 1970, the book "The Secret Life of Plants" by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird was published in the USA. In it, without relying on scientific facts, a lot of fantastic information about flowers and trees was given. For example, it was said that plants are stressed if an egg is broken in their presence, the pumpkin deviates from the speakers if rock sounds from them.

Nowadays, many facts have been accumulated on the perception of sounds by plants. In 2014, scientists from the University of Missouri (USA) influenced a small herb, Arabidopsis (Tal rezuhovidka) using the sound that a caterpillar chews on it.

It turned out that this increases the content of anthocyanins (purple dyes) and glucosinolates (bitterness) in the leaves of the plant. Experience has shown that rezukovidka reacts differently to air vibrations caused by chewing leaves, wind and chirping insects.

Scientists from the University of Mississippi recently conducted experiments with soybeans and insects living on it - ladybirds and soybean aphids. They were influenced by different types of sounds, including the noise of the city, tractor, rock and roll. After two weeks, the plant biomass decreased compared to the control.

However, scientists are not inclined to believe that rock directly oppressed plants. Rather, he somehow influenced the pests, which intensified their activities.