For the first time, scientists captured plants talking. There has been an incredible discovery made by a group of Japanese scientists, who have recorded real time footage of plants “talking” to each other, according to Earth.
Masatsugu Toyota, a molecular biologist at Saitama University, led a study that was published in Nature Communications to describe the findings of his research.
It was observed that plants that were not damaged responded to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by other plants that had been struck by mechanical damage or attacked by insects as a result of mechanical damage.
There was a study that involved placing caterpillars on leaves and then observing the responses of a second plant that did not have any insects around.
These plants were not normal plants, they were genetically modified so that their cells contained biosensors that responded to calcium ion inflow by fluorescing green, which indicated that calcium ions entered the cell. Besides being used for communication, calcium signaling is also used by human cells.
Plants communicate in what ways?
In order for plants to communicate with each other, chemical signals are used. There is a function of VOCs in allowing neighbouring plants to communicate with each other. As a result, they are capable of transmitting important information about environmental conditions, for instance droughts and pest attacks.
A plant, for example, that has been attacked, will emit specific VOCs that will penetrate nearby plants, which will enable them to detect the attack.
This nearby plant strengthens its chemical defences after receiving the signal, just in case another attack occurs within the next few days.
A plant’s nervous system works similarly to the nervous system of an animal, which is an important feature of how plants communicate.
The process of electrical impulses propagating throughout the structure of a plant is triggered whenever it is stressed or damaged.
Physiological changes on the part of plants are triggered by these signals, such as closing stomata during drought conditions to prevent water loss from the plant.
It was only in 1980 that scientists discovered that these plant defences worked, but it was only recently that they were able to capture this communication in real time.
That news provided by timenews.
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