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Marder M, Geremia Parise A. Extending cognition: a vegetal rejoinder to extensionless thought and to extended cognition. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2024; 19:2345984. [PMID: 38654490 PMCID: PMC11057674 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2024.2345984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a crucial supplement to the framework of plant cognition, namely extending cognition. We argue that plants and other organisms with an open-ended body plan actively extend their cognition when growing tissues or organs. Their cognition expands with their body expansion. After considering the defining features of extending cognition, we present a model where growth, along with aspects of plant physiology (e.g. biochemical exudates), as well as the "negative extension" of growing away from obstacles or stressful environments, are the building blocks for a more refined understanding of plant cognition. We conclude by outlining the general implications of the theory of extending cognition and indicating directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Marder
- Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country, UPV-EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- Philosophy, Ikerbasque: Basque Foundation for Science, Vitoria, Spain
| | - André Geremia Parise
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
- School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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2
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Wyka TP. Negative phototropism of the shoots helps temperate liana Hedera helix L. to locate host trees under habitat conditions. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 43:1874-1885. [PMID: 37334935 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Lianas employ a variety of searching mechanisms to find support; however, it is not clear to what extent environmental signals are used to help direct the search. Several adventitious root climbers have been shown to bend away from light and grow toward darker areas or objects, in one case including actual tree trunks. In the literature, this negative phototropism (NP) has also been informally and inconsistently reported from a temperate root climber Hedera helix L. (common ivy). In this study, rigorous laboratory tests have confirmed the occurrence of NP in both seedlings and prostrate shoots of H. helix. Furthermore, a field experiment with potted ivy seedlings placed around tree trunks demonstrated their ability to remotely locate trees. This finding was corroborated by a survey of growth directions in wild-growing prostrate ivy shoots in two woodland habitats. An additional outdoor experiment showed that the ability to locate support is expressed in shade but supressed by full sun conditions. These results show that H. helix uses NP to locate support and indicate that this ability is a component of the species' shade escape strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz P Wyka
- Faculty of Biology, General Botany Laboratory, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, Poznań 61-614, Poland
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3
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Parise AG, Gubert GF, Whalan S, Gagliano M. Ariadne’s thread and the extension of cognition: A common but overlooked phenomenon in nature? Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1069349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Over recent decades, our philosophical and scientific understanding of cognition has changed dramatically. We went from conceiving humans as the sole truly cognitive species on the planet to endowing several organisms with cognitive capacities, from considering brains as the exclusive seat of cognition to extending cognitive faculties to the entire physical body and beyond. That cognition could extend beyond the organism’s body is no doubt one of the most controversial of the recent hypotheses. Extended cognition (ExC) has been discussed not only to explain aspects of the human cognitive process, but also of other species such as spiders and more recently, plants. It has been suggested that ExC could offer insights for the grounding of environmentally extended cognitive traits in evolved ecological functions. Here, we reviewed the ecological literature for possible ExC examples that satisfy the mutual manipulability criterion, which can be used to establish experimentally the boundaries of cognitive systems. Our conclusion is that ExC might be far more common than previously thought, and present in organisms as diverse as plants, fungi, termites, spiders, mammals, and slime moulds. Experimental investigation is needed to clarify this idea which, if proven correct, could illuminate a new path into understanding the origins and evolution of cognition.
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4
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Parise AG, de Toledo GRA, Oliveira TFDC, Souza GM, Castiello U, Gagliano M, Marder M. Do plants pay attention? A possible phenomenological-empirical approach. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 173:11-23. [PMID: 35636584 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2022.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Attention is the important ability of flexibly controlling limited cognitive resources. It ensures that organisms engage with the activities and stimuli that are relevant to their survival. Despite the cognitive capabilities of plants and their complex behavioural repertoire, the study of attention in plants has been largely neglected. In this article, we advance the hypothesis that plants are endowed with the ability of attaining attentive states. We depart from a transdisciplinary basis of philosophy, psychology, physics and plant ecophysiology to propose a framework that seeks to explain how plant attention might operate and how it could be studied empirically. In particular, the phenomenological approach seems particularly important to explain plant attention theoretically, and plant electrophysiology seems particularly suited to study it empirically. We propose the use of electrophysiological techniques as a viable way for studying it, and we revisit previous work to support our hypothesis. We conclude this essay with some remarks on future directions for the study of plant attention and its implications to botany.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Geremia Parise
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
| | - Gabriel Ricardo Aguilera de Toledo
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | - Thiago Francisco de Carvalho Oliveira
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Maia Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Neuroscience of Movement Laboratory (NEMO), Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Monica Gagliano
- Biological Intelligence Laboratory (BI Lab), School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Marder
- Ikerbasque: Basque Foundation for Science & Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
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Bonato B, Peressotti F, Guerra S, Wang Q, Castiello U. Cracking the code: a comparative approach to plant communication. Commun Integr Biol 2021; 14:176-185. [PMID: 34434483 PMCID: PMC8381849 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2021.1956719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The linguistic behavior of humans is usually considered the point of reference for studying the origin and evolution of language. As commonly defined, language is a form of communication between human beings; many have argued that it is unique to humans as there is no apparent equivalent for it in non-human organisms. How language is used as a means of communication is examined in this essay from a biological perspective positing that it is effectively and meaningfully used by non-human organisms and, more specifically, by plants. We set out to draw parallels between some aspects characterizing human language and the chemical communication that occurs between plants. The essay examines the similarities in ways of communicating linked to three properties of language: its combinatorial structure, meaning-making activities and the existence of dialects. In accordance with the findings of researchers who have demonstrated that plants do indeed communicate with one another and with organisms in their environment, the essay concludes with the appeal for an interdisciplinary approach conceptualizing a broader ecological definition of language and a constructive dialogue between the biological sciences and the humanities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Bonato
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università Degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesca Peressotti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo E della Socializzazione, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università Degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Qiuran Wang
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università Degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università Degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
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Kappeler PM. Behavioural Biology: Content and History. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82879-0_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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7
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Calvo P, Gagliano M, Souza GM, Trewavas A. Plants are intelligent, here's how. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:11-28. [PMID: 31563953 PMCID: PMC6948212 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESES The drive to survive is a biological universal. Intelligent behaviour is usually recognized when individual organisms including plants, in the face of fiercely competitive or adverse, real-world circumstances, change their behaviour to improve their probability of survival. SCOPE This article explains the potential relationship of intelligence to adaptability and emphasizes the need to recognize individual variation in intelligence showing it to be goal directed and thus being purposeful. Intelligent behaviour in single cells and microbes is frequently reported. Individual variation might be underpinned by a novel learning mechanism, described here in detail. The requirements for real-world circumstances are outlined, and the relationship to organic selection is indicated together with niche construction as a good example of intentional behaviour that should improve survival. Adaptability is important in crop development but the term may be complex incorporating numerous behavioural traits some of which are indicated. CONCLUSION There is real biological benefit to regarding plants as intelligent both from the fundamental issue of understanding plant life but also from providing a direction for fundamental future research and in crop breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paco Calvo
- Minimal Intelligence Laboratory, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Monica Gagliano
- Biological Intelligence Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Gustavo M Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas - RS, Brazil
| | - Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Molecular Plant Science, Kings Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Abstract
Plants do not possess brains or neurons. However, they present astonishingly complex behaviors such as information acquisition, memory, learning, decision making, etc., which helps these sessile organisms deal with their ever-changing environments. As a consequence, they have been proposed to be cognitive and intelligent, an idea which is becoming increasingly accepted. However, how plant cognition could operate without a nervous central system remains poorly understood and new insights on this topic are urgently needed. According to the Extended Cognition hypothesis, cognition may also occur beyond the limits of the body, encompassing objects from the environment. This was shown possible in humans and spiders, who actively manipulate their external environment to extend their cognitive capacity. Here, we propose that extended cognition may also be found in plants and could partly explain the complexity of plant behavior. We suggest that plants can extend their cognitive abilities to the environment they manipulate through the root influence zone and the mycorrhizal fungi that associate with them. The possibility of a cognitive process involving organisms from different kingdoms is exciting and worthwhile exploring as it may provide key insights into the origin and evolution of cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Geremia Parise
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
- CONTACT André Geremia Parise Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Monica Gagliano
- Biological Intelligence (BI) Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Sydney Environment Institute (SEI), The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Gustavo Maia Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
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From the Anthropocene to Mutual Thriving: An Agenda for Higher Education in the Ecozoic. SUSTAINABILITY 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/su11123312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Higher education in the global North, and exported elsewhere, is complicit in driving the planet’s socio-ecological crises by teaching how to most effectively marginalize and plunder Earth and human communities. As students and activists within the academic system, we take a firm stand to arrest this cycle, and to redirect education toward teaching how to create conditions for all life to thrive. In this paper, we articulate a research and education agenda for co-constructing knowledge and wisdom, and propose shifts in the ‘ologies from the current, destructive modes to intended regenerative counterparts. We offer to shift from an ontology of separation to that of interconnectedness; from an epistemology of domination to that of egalitarian relationship; and from an axiology of development to that of plural values for world- and meaning-making. Such paradigm shifts reflect the foundational aspirations of the consilient transdiscipline of ecological economics. We analyze several introductory university textbooks in economics, law, and natural sciences, to demonstrate how destructive ‘ologies are taught in North American universities, and how such teaching implicitly undermines critical inquiry and effective challenge. Our strategy for change is to provide a new theoretical framework for education: the regenerative ‘ologies of the Ecozoic’, based on biophysicality, embedded relationality, pluralism, and the sustainable well-being of all members in the community of life.
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hartigan
- Director of the Américo Paredes Center for Cultural Studies and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin
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11
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Yokawa K, Kagenishi T, Pavlovič A, Gall S, Weiland M, Mancuso S, Baluška F. Anaesthetics stop diverse plant organ movements, affect endocytic vesicle recycling and ROS homeostasis, and block action potentials in Venus flytraps. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2018; 122:747-756. [PMID: 29236942 PMCID: PMC6215046 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Background and Aims Anaesthesia for medical purposes was introduced in the 19th century. However, the physiological mode of anaesthetic drug actions on the nervous system remains unclear. One of the remaining questions is how these different compounds, with no structural similarities and even chemically inert elements such as the noble gas xenon, act as anaesthetic agents inducing loss of consciousness. The main goal here was to determine if anaesthetics affect the same or similar processes in plants as in animals and humans. Methods A single-lens reflex camera was used to follow organ movements in plants before, during and after recovery from exposure to diverse anaesthetics. Confocal microscopy was used to analyse endocytic vesicle trafficking. Electrical signals were recorded using a surface AgCl electrode. Key Results Mimosa leaves, pea tendrils, Venus flytraps and sundew traps all lost both their autonomous and touch-induced movements after exposure to anaesthetics. In Venus flytrap, this was shown to be due to the loss of action potentials under diethyl ether anaesthesia. The same concentration of diethyl ether immobilized pea tendrils. Anaesthetics also impeded seed germination and chlorophyll accumulation in cress seedlings. Endocytic vesicle recycling and reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance, as observed in intact Arabidopsis root apex cells, were also affected by all anaesthetics tested. Conclusions Plants are sensitive to several anaesthetics that have no structural similarities. As in animals and humans, anaesthetics used at appropriate concentrations block action potentials and immobilize organs via effects on action potentials, endocytic vesicle recycling and ROS homeostasis. Plants emerge as ideal model objects to study general questions related to anaesthesia, as well as to serve as a suitable test system for human anaesthesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Yokawa
- IZMB, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Center for Bioscience Research and Education, Utsunomiya University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - T Kagenishi
- IZMB, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Center for Bioscience Research and Education, Utsunomiya University, Tochigi, Japan
| | - A Pavlovič
- Department of Biophysics, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - S Gall
- IZMB, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - M Weiland
- IZMB, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science & LINV, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - S Mancuso
- Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science & LINV, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - F Baluška
- IZMB, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Abstract
Despite considerable research on the responses of plants to stimuli and a recent surge of interest in "plant intelligence," few studies have been conducted on classical or respondent conditioning in plants. Studies of respondent conditioning in plants were reviewed, the majority of which used the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) as the subjects with seismonastic responses (leaflet-folding and leaf-drooping) as the unconditioned responses, and all of which used group designs. The reported results are mixed, with no replications of positive results. Issues have been noted with the methodology of these studies, including the lack of within-subject demonstrations, choice of putative conditioned stimuli, and potential unplanned interactions between subjects across experimental groups. Recommendations are made for addressing these issues in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry E. Adelman
- The Arc of Indian River County, 1375 16th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL 32960 USA
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13
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Karban R, Orrock JL. A judgment and decision‐making model for plant behavior. Ecology 2018; 99:1909-1919. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Karban
- Department of Entomology and Nematology University of California, Davis Davis California 95616 USA
| | - John L. Orrock
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin 53704 USA
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14
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Towards Systemic View for Plant Learning: Ecophysiological Perspective. MEMORY AND LEARNING IN PLANTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-75596-0_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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15
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The living organism: Strengthening the basis. Biosystems 2017; 158:10-16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2017.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Revised: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Vicient CM. The effect of frequency-specific sound signals on the germination of maize seeds. BMC Res Notes 2017; 10:323. [PMID: 28743310 PMCID: PMC5526260 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-017-2643-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 07/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The effects of sound treatments on the germination of maize seeds were determined. RESULTS White noise and bass sounds (300 Hz) had a positive effect on the germination rate. Only 3 h treatment produced an increase of about 8%, and 5 h increased germination in about 10%. Fast-green staining shows that at least part of the effects of sound are due to a physical alteration in the integrity of the pericarp, increasing the porosity of the pericarp and facilitating oxygen availability and water and oxygen uptake. Accordingly, by removing the pericarp from the seeds the positive effect of the sound on the germination disappeared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M Vicient
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
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17
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Abstract
Intelligence is defined for wild plants and its role in fitness identified. Intelligent behaviour exhibited by single cells and systems similarity between the interactome and connectome indicates neural systems are not necessary for intelligent capabilities. Plants sense and respond to many environmental signals that are assessed to competitively optimize acquisition of patchily distributed resources. Situations of choice engender motivational states in goal-directed plant behaviour; consequent intelligent decisions enable efficient gain of energy over expenditure. Comparison of swarm intelligence and plant behaviour indicates the origins of plant intelligence lie in complex communication and is exemplified by cambial control of branch function. Error correction in behaviours indicates both awareness and intention as does the ability to count to five. Volatile organic compounds are used as signals in numerous plant interactions. Being complex in composition and often species and individual specific, they may represent the plant language and account for self and alien recognition between individual plants. Game theory has been used to understand competitive and cooperative interactions between plants and microbes. Some unexpected cooperative behaviour between individuals and potential aliens has emerged. Behaviour profiting from experience, another simple definition of intelligence, requires both learning and memory and is indicated in the priming of herbivory, disease and abiotic stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Plant Molecular Science, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JH, Scotland
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18
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Abstract
Intelligence is defined for wild plants and its role in fitness identified. Intelligent behaviour exhibited by single cells and systems similarity between the interactome and connectome indicates neural systems are not necessary for intelligent capabilities. Plants sense and respond to many environmental signals that are assessed to competitively optimize acquisition of patchily distributed resources. Situations of choice engender motivational states in goal-directed plant behaviour; consequent intelligent decisions enable efficient gain of energy over expenditure. Comparison of swarm intelligence and plant behaviour indicates the origins of plant intelligence lie in complex communication and is exemplified by cambial control of branch function. Error correction in behaviours indicates both awareness and intention as does the ability to count to five. Volatile organic compounds are used as signals in numerous plant interactions. Being complex in composition and often species and individual specific, they may represent the plant language and account for self and alien recognition between individual plants. Game theory has been used to understand competitive and cooperative interactions between plants and microbes. Some unexpected cooperative behaviour between individuals and potential aliens has emerged. Behaviour profiting from experience, another simple definition of intelligence, requires both learning and memory and is indicated in the priming of herbivory, disease and abiotic stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Plant Molecular Science, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JH, Scotland
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19
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Abstract
Across all species, individuals thrive in complex ecological systems, which they rarely have complete knowledge of. To cope with this uncertainty and still make good choices while avoiding costly errors, organisms have developed the ability to exploit key features associated with their environment. That through experience, humans and other animals are quick at learning to associate specific cues with particular places, events and circumstances has long been known; the idea that plants are also capable of learning by association had never been proven until now. Here I comment on the recent paper that experimentally demonstrated associative learning in plants, thus qualifying them as proper subjects of cognitive research. Additionally, I make the point that the current fundamental premise in cognitive science—that we must understanding the precise neural underpinning of a given cognitive feature in order to understand the evolution of cognition and behavior—needs to be reimagined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Gagliano
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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20
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Murphy GP, Van Acker R, Rajcan I, Swanton CJ. Identity recognition in response to different levels of genetic relatedness in commercial soya bean. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160879. [PMID: 28280587 PMCID: PMC5319353 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Identity recognition systems allow plants to tailor competitive phenotypes in response to the genetic relatedness of neighbours. There is limited evidence for the existence of recognition systems in crop species and whether they operate at a level that would allow for identification of different degrees of relatedness. Here, we test the responses of commercial soya bean cultivars to neighbours of varying genetic relatedness consisting of other commercial cultivars (intraspecific), its wild progenitor Glycine soja, and another leguminous species Phaseolus vulgaris (interspecific). We found, for the first time to our knowledge, that a commercial soya bean cultivar, OAC Wallace, showed identity recognition responses to neighbours at different levels of genetic relatedness. OAC Wallace showed no response when grown with other commercial soya bean cultivars (intra-specific neighbours), showed increased allocation to leaves compared with stems with wild soya beans (highly related wild progenitor species), and increased allocation to leaves compared with stems and roots with white beans (interspecific neighbours). Wild soya bean also responded to identity recognition but these responses involved changes in biomass allocation towards stems instead of leaves suggesting that identity recognition responses are species-specific and consistent with the ecology of the species. In conclusion, elucidating identity recognition in crops may provide further knowledge into mechanisms of crop competition and the relationship between crop density and yield.
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Calvo P, Baluška F, Sims A. "Feature Detection" vs. "Predictive Coding" Models of Plant Behavior. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1505. [PMID: 27757094 PMCID: PMC5047902 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this article we consider the possibility that plants exhibit anticipatory behavior, a mark of intelligence. If plants are able to anticipate and respond accordingly to varying states of their surroundings, as opposed to merely responding online to environmental contingencies, then such capacity may be in principle testable, and subject to empirical scrutiny. Our main thesis is that adaptive behavior can only take place by way of a mechanism that predicts the environmental sources of sensory stimulation. We propose to test for anticipation in plants experimentally by contrasting two empirical hypotheses: “feature detection” and “predictive coding.” We spell out what these contrasting hypotheses consist of by way of illustration from the animal literature, and consider how to transfer the rationale involved to the plant literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paco Calvo
- Minimal Intelligence Lab (MINT Lab), Department of Philosophy, University of MurciaMurcia, Spain; School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of EdinburghEdinburgh, UK
| | - František Baluška
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany
| | - Andrew Sims
- Institut Supérieur de Philosophie, Université Catholique de Louvain Louvain, Belgium
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22
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Karban R, Orrock JL, Preisser EL, Sih A. A comparison of plants and animals in their responses to risk of consumption. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 32:1-8. [PMID: 27262943 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Both plants and animals reduce their risk of being eaten by detecting and responding to herbivore and predator cues. Plants tend to be less mobile and rely on more local information perceived with widely dispersed and redundant tissues. As such, plants can more easily multi-task. Plants are more tolerant of damage and use damage to their own tissues as reliable cues of risk; plants have a higher threshold before responding to the threat of herbivory. Plants also use diverse cues that include fragments of plant tissue and molecular patterns from herbivores, herbivore feeding, or microbial associates of herbivores. Instead of fleeing from attackers, plants reallocate valuable resources to organs at less risk. They minimize unnecessary defenses against unrealized risks and costs of failing to defend against actual risk. Plants can remember and learn, although these abilities are poorly understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Karban
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
| | - John L Orrock
- Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Evan L Preisser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, United States
| | - Andrew Sih
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
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Sustainable Digital Environments: What Major Challenges Is Humankind Facing? SUSTAINABILITY 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/su8080726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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25
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Cahill JF. Introduction to the Special Issue: Beyond traits: integrating behaviour into plant ecology and biology. AOB PLANTS 2015; 7:plv120. [PMID: 26504090 PMCID: PMC4670486 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plv120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The way that plants are conceptualized in the context of ecological understanding is changing. In one direction, a reductionist school is pulling plants apart into a list of measured 'traits', from which ecological function and outcomes of species interactions may be inferred. This special issue offers an alternative, and more holistic, view: that the ecological functions performed by a plant will be a consequence not only of their complement of traits but also of the ways in which their component parts are used in response to environmental and social conditions. This is the realm of behavioural ecology, a field that has greatly advanced our understanding of animal biology, ecology and evolution. Included in this special issue are 10 articles focussing not on the tried and true metaphor that plant growth is similar to animal movement, but instead on how application of principles from animal behaviour can improve our ability to understand plant biology and ecology. The goals are not to draw false parallels, nor to anthropomorphize plant biology, but instead to demonstrate how existing and robust theory based on fundamental principles can provide novel understanding for plants. Key to this approach is the recognition that behaviour and intelligence are not the same. Many organisms display complex behaviours despite a lack of cognition (as it is traditionally understood) or any hint of a nervous system. The applicability of behavioural concepts to plants is further enhanced with the realization that all organisms face the same harsh forces of natural selection in the context of finding resources, mates and coping with neighbours. As these ecological realities are often highly variable in space and time, it is not surprising that all organisms-even plants-exhibit complex behaviours to handle this variability. The articles included here address diverse topics in behavioural ecology, as applied to plants: general conceptual understanding, plant nutrient foraging, root-root interactions, and using and helping others. As a group, the articles in this special issue demonstrate how plant ecological understanding can be enhanced through incorporation of behavioural ideas and set the stage for future research in the emerging discipline of plant behavioural ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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26
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Gagliano M, Grimonprez M. Breaking the Silence—Language and the Making of Meaning in Plants. ECOPSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1089/eco.2015.0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Monica Gagliano
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Mavra Grimonprez
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
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