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Madariaga D, Arro D, Irarrázaval C, Soto A, Guerra F, Romero A, Ovalle F, Fedrigolli E, DesRosiers T, Serbe-Kamp É, Marzullo T. A library of electrophysiological responses in plants - a model of transversal education and open science. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2024; 19:2310977. [PMID: 38493508 PMCID: PMC10950275 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2024.2310977] [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: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Electrophysiology in plants is understudied, and, moreover, an ideal model for student inclusion at all levels of education. Here, we report on an investigation in open science, whereby scientists worked with high school students, faculty, and undergraduates from Chile, Germany, Serbia, South Korea, and the USA. The students recorded the electrophysiological signals of >15 plant species in response to a flame or tactile stimulus applied to the leaves. We observed that approximately 60% of the plants studied showed an electrophysiological response, with a delay of ~ 3-6 s after stimulus presentation. In preliminary conduction velocity experiments, we verified that observed signals are indeed biological in origin, with information transmission speeds of ~ 2-9 mm/s. Such easily replicable experiments can serve to include more investigators and students in contributing to our understanding of plant electrophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danae Madariaga
- Colegio (High School) Alberto Blest Gana, San Ramón, Santiago, Chile
| | - Derek Arro
- Colegio (High School) Alberto Blest Gana, San Ramón, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Alejandro Soto
- Colegio (High School) Alberto Blest Gana, San Ramón, Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe Guerra
- Colegio (High School) Alberto Blest Gana, San Ramón, Santiago, Chile
| | - Angélica Romero
- Colegio (High School) Alberto Blest Gana, San Ramón, Santiago, Chile
| | - Fabián Ovalle
- Colegio (High School) Alberto Blest Gana, San Ramón, Santiago, Chile
| | - Elsa Fedrigolli
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Thomas DesRosiers
- College of Literature, Science, and Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Étienne Serbe-Kamp
- Hirnkastl, Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Research and Development, Backyard Brains, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Timothy Marzullo
- Research and Development, Backyard Brains, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Research and Development, Backyard Brains, Seoul, South Korea
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Baluska F, Souza GM. Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1132. [PMID: 38674541 PMCID: PMC11055140 DOI: 10.3390/plants13081132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Being sessile organisms that need to effectively explore space (above and below ground) and acquire resources through growth, plants must simultaneously consider multiple possibilities and wisely balance the energy they spend on growth with the benefits for survival [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Frantisek Baluska
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany (IZMB), University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Gustavo Maia Souza
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas 96160, RS, Brazil
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Cosca CM, Haggard JA, Kato HM, Sklavenitis EM, Blumstein DT. Do environmental stimuli modify sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica L.) risk assessment? PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294971. [PMID: 38127910 PMCID: PMC10734946 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Although plants and animals both assess their environment and respond to stimuli, this reaction is considered a behavior in animals and a response in plants. Responses in plants are seen within various timescales- from the nanosecond stimuli is presented to a lifelong progression. Within this study, we bridge the gap between animal behavioral studies and plant response. Sensitive plants (Mimosa pudica L.) are an ideal subject for this due to the rapid closure of their primary leaflets when touched. We designed a multimodal, or stress combination, experiment to test two hypotheses with sensitive plants: if they could be distracted and if they would alter their risk assessment when exposed to external stimuli (wind and sound). To evaluate the distraction hypothesis, we measured an individual's latency to close, hypothesizing that if the plants were distracted, they would take longer to close. To evaluate the uncertain risk hypothesis, we quantified the latency to reopen, hypothesizing that if the plants were uncertain, they would take longer to reopen. We also quantified the number of pinnae closed on the selected stem to test for changes in risk assessment across treatments. We expected the unimodal treatments would distract or alter risk assessment, and the multimodal treatment would elicit an enhanced response. Multimodal stimuli had a significant effect on the number of pinnae closed before the tap, but we found no evidence that plants were distracted by any stimulus tested. We found that temperature had a significant effect on the latency to close, and that plants modified their risk assessment when exposed to experimental wind stimuli. By manipulating environmental stimuli, we found that sensitive plants trade-off energy and perceived risk much in the way that is commonly found in animals. Framing the study of plants' responses to environmental stimuli as behavioral questions may generate new insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte M. Cosca
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Justin A. Haggard
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Halli M. Kato
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Eleni M. Sklavenitis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
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Parise AG, Oliveira TFDC, Debono MW, Souza GM. The Electrome of a Parasitic Plant in a Putative State of Attention Increases the Energy of Low Band Frequency Waves: A Comparative Study with Neural Systems. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2005. [PMID: 37653922 PMCID: PMC10224360 DOI: 10.3390/plants12102005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Selective attention is an important cognitive phenomenon that allows organisms to flexibly engage with certain environmental cues or activities while ignoring others, permitting optimal behaviour. It has been proposed that selective attention can be present in many different animal species and, more recently, in plants. The phenomenon of attention in plants would be reflected in its electrophysiological activity, possibly being observable through electrophytographic (EPG) techniques. Former EPG time series obtained from the parasitic plant Cuscuta racemosa in a putative state of attention towards two different potential hosts, the suitable bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and the unsuitable wheat (Triticum aestivum), were revisited. Here, we investigated the potential existence of different band frequencies (including low, delta, theta, mu, alpha, beta, and gamma waves) using a protocol adapted from neuroscientific research. Average band power (ABP) was used to analyse the energy distribution of each band frequency in the EPG signals, and time dispersion analysis of features (TDAF) was used to explore the variations in the energy of each band. Our findings indicated that most band waves were centred in the lower frequencies. We also observed that C. racemosa invested more energy in these low-frequency waves when suitable hosts were present. However, we also noted peaks of energy investment in all the band frequencies, which may be linked to extremely low oscillatory electrical signals in the entire tissue. Overall, the presence of suitable hosts induced a higher energy power, which supports the hypothesis of attention in plants. We further discuss and compare our results with generic neural systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thiago Francisco de Carvalho Oliveira
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Capão do Leão 96160-000, RS, Brazil; (T.F.d.C.O.)
| | | | - Gustavo Maia Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Capão do Leão 96160-000, RS, Brazil; (T.F.d.C.O.)
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