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Bonato B, Simonetti V, Guerra S, Castiello U. Artificial and biological supports are different for pea plants. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2024; 19:2355739. [PMID: 38837041 PMCID: PMC7616103 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2024.2355739] [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: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies on the kinematics of pea plants' ascent and attach behavior have demonstrated that the signature of their movement varies depending on the kind of support. So far, these studies have been confined to artificial supports (e.g. wooden sticks). Little is known regarding the conditions under which pea plants could rely on biological supports (e.g. neighboring plants) for climbing toward the light. In this study, we capitalize on the 3D kinematic analysis of movement to ascertain whether pea plants scale their kinematics differently depending on whether they aim for artificial or biological support. Results suggest that biological support determines a smoother and more accurate behavior than that elicited by the artificial one. These results shed light on pea plants' ability to detect and classify the properties of objects and implement a movement plan attuned to the very nature of the support. We contend that such differences depend on the augmented multisensory experience elicited by the biological support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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2
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Guerra S, Bruno G, Spoto A, Panzeri A, Wang Q, Bonato B, Simonetti V, Castiello U. Ascent and Attachment in Pea Plants: A Matter of Iteration. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1389. [PMID: 38794459 PMCID: PMC11124904 DOI: 10.3390/plants13101389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) can perceive the presence of potential supports in the environment and flexibly adapt their behavior to clasp them. How pea plants control and perfect this behavior during growth remains unexplored. Here, we attempt to fill this gap by studying the movement of the apex and the tendrils at different leaves using three-dimensional (3D) kinematical analysis. We hypothesized that plants accumulate information and resources through the circumnutation movements of each leaf. Information generates the kinematical coordinates for the final launch towards the potential support. Results suggest that developing a functional approach to grasp movement may involve an interactive trial and error process based on continuous cross-talk across leaves. This internal communication provides evidence that plants adopt plastic responses in a way that optimally corresponds to support search scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (G.B.); (A.S.); (A.P.); (Q.W.); (B.B.); (V.S.); (U.C.)
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3
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Bonato B, Castiello U, Guerra S, Wang Q. Motor cognition in plants: from thought to real experiments. THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 36:423-437. [PMID: 39132627 PMCID: PMC7616355 DOI: 10.1007/s40626-023-00304-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Motor cognition involves the process of planning and executing goal-directed movements and recognizing, anticipating, and interpreting others' actions. Motor cognitive functions are generally associated with the presence of a brain and are ascribed only to humans and other animal species. A growing body of evidence suggests that aneural organisms, like climbing plants, exhibit behaviors driven by the intention to achieve goals, challenging our understanding of cognition. Here, we propose an inclusive perspective under motor cognition to explain climbing plants' behavior. We will first review our empirical research based on kinematical analysis to understand movement in pea plants. Then, we situate this empirical research within the current theoretical debate aimed at extending the principles of cognition to aneural organisms. A novel comparative perspective that considers the perception-action cycle, involving transforming perceived environmental elements into intended movement patterns, is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology (DPG), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Department of General Psychology (DPG), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology (DPG), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Qiuran Wang
- Department of General Psychology (DPG), University of Padova, Padua, Italy
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4
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Bonato B, Wang Q, Guerra S, Simonetti V, Bulgheroni M, Quaggiotti S, Ruperti B, Castiello U. 'United we stand, divided we fall': intertwining as evidence of joint actions in pea plants. AOB PLANTS 2024; 16:plad088. [PMID: 38192569 PMCID: PMC10773780 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plad088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
In life, it is common for almost every kind of organism to interact with one another. In the human realm, such interactions are at the basis of joint actions, when two or more agents syntonize their actions to achieve a common goal. Shared intentionality is the theoretical construct referring to the suite of abilities that enable such coordinated and collaborative interactions. While shared intentionality has become an important concept in research on social cognition, there is controversy surrounding its evolutionary origins. An aspect still unexplored but promising to bring new insights into this open debate is the study of aneural organisms. To fill this gap, here we investigate whether climbing plants can act jointly to achieve a common goal, i.e. reaching the light. We examined Pisum Sativum plants growing intertwined when there is a need to climb but a potential support is not present in the environment. Three-dimensional kinematic analysis of their movement revealed a coordinated and complementary behaviour. They tend to coordinate their movement in time and space to achieve a joint climbing. By deliberately extending the context in which a joint action takes place, we pay tribute to the complex nature of this social phenomenon. The next challenge for the field of joint action is to generate a perspective that links coordination mechanisms to an evolutionary framework across taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Qiuran Wang
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Valentina Simonetti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
- Ab.Acus s.r.l, Via Francesco Caracciolo 77, 20155, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Quaggiotti
- Department of Agronomy, Animals, Food, Natural Resources and Environment, University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Benedetto Ruperti
- Department of Agronomy, Animals, Food, Natural Resources and Environment, University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
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5
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Filmer HL, Loughnan K, Seeto JX, Ballard T, Ehrhardt SE, Shaw TB, Wards Y, Rideaux R, Leow LA, Sewell DK, Dux PE. Individual Differences in Decision Strategy Relate to Neurochemical Excitability and Cortical Thickness. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7006-7015. [PMID: 37657932 PMCID: PMC10586534 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1086-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT), whereby faster decisions increase the likelihood of an error, reflects a cognitive strategy humans must engage in during the performance of almost all daily tasks. To date, computational modeling has implicated the latent decision variable of response caution (thresholds), the amount of evidence required for a decision to be made, in the SAT. Previous imaging has associated frontal regions, notably the left prefrontal cortex and the presupplementary motor area (pre-SMA), with the setting of such caution levels. In addition, causal brain stimulation studies, using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), have indicated that while both of these regions are involved in the SAT, their role appears to be dissociable. tDCS efficacy to impact decision-making processes has previously been linked with neurochemical concentrations and cortical thickness of stimulated regions. However, to date, it is unknown whether these neurophysiological measures predict individual differences in the SAT, and brain stimulation effects on the SAT. Using ultra-high field (7T) imaging, here we report that instruction-based adjustments in caution are associated with both neurochemical excitability (the balance between GABA+ and glutamate) and cortical thickness across a range of frontal regions in both sexes. In addition, cortical thickness, but not neurochemical concentrations, was associated with the efficacy of left prefrontal and superior medial frontal cortex (SMFC) stimulation to modulate performance. Overall, our findings elucidate key neurophysiological predictors, frontal neural excitation, of individual differences in latent psychological processes and the efficacy of stimulation to modulate these.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The speed-accuracy trade-off (SAT), faster decisions increase the likelihood of an error, reflects a cognitive strategy humans must engage in during most daily tasks. The SAT is often investigated by explicitly instructing participants to prioritize speed or accuracy when responding to stimuli. Using ultra-high field (7T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we found that individual differences in the extent to which participants adjust their decision strategies with instruction related to neurochemical excitability (ratio of GABA+ to glutamate) and cortical thickness in the frontal cortex. Moreover, brain stimulation to the left prefrontal cortex and the superior medial frontal cortex (SMFC) modulated performance, with the efficacy specifically related to cortical thickness. This work sheds new light on the neurophysiological basis of decision strategies and brain stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah L Filmer
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Kathleen Loughnan
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jennifer X Seeto
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Timothy Ballard
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shane E Ehrhardt
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Thomas B Shaw
- School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yohan Wards
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Reuben Rideaux
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales 2050, Australia
| | - Li-Ann Leow
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - David K Sewell
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Paul E Dux
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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6
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Castiello U. Plant Intelligence from a Comparative Psychology Perspective. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:819. [PMID: 37372104 DOI: 10.3390/biology12060819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
After being subjected to years of debates regarding the possibility that plants possess some form of intelligence, many admit to needing to close their eyes and to breathe mindfully when having to listen to the same arguments yet again [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Umberto Castiello
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy
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Wang Q, Guerra S, Bonato B, Simonetti V, Bulgheroni M, Castiello U. Decision-Making Underlying Support-Searching in Pea Plants. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1597. [PMID: 37111821 PMCID: PMC10143786 DOI: 10.3390/plants12081597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Finding a suitable support is a key process in the life history of climbing plants. Those that find a suitable support have greater performance and fitness than those that remain prostrate. Numerous studies on climbing plant behavior have elucidated the mechanistic details of support-searching and attachment. Far fewer studies have addressed the ecological significance of support-searching behavior and the factors that affect it. Among these, the diameter of supports influences their suitability. When the support diameter increases beyond some point, climbing plants are unable to maintain tensional forces and therefore lose attachment to the trellis. Here, we further investigate this issue by placing pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) in the situation of choosing between supports of different diameters while their movement was recorded by means of a three-dimensional motion analysis system. The results indicate that the way pea plants move can vary depending on whether they are presented with one or two potential supports. Furthermore, when presented with a choice between thin and thick supports, the plants showed a distinct preference for the former than the latter. The present findings shed further light on how climbing plants make decisions regarding support-searching and provide evidence that plants adopt one of several alternative plastic responses in a way that optimally corresponds to environmental scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuran Wang
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (V.S.); (U.C.)
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (V.S.); (U.C.)
| | - Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (V.S.); (U.C.)
| | - Valentina Simonetti
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (V.S.); (U.C.)
- Ab.Acus srl, 20155 Milan, Italy;
| | | | - Umberto Castiello
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (V.S.); (U.C.)
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8
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Wang Q, Barbariol T, Susto GA, Bonato B, Guerra S, Castiello U. Classifying Circumnutation in Pea Plants via Supervised Machine Learning. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:965. [PMID: 36840313 PMCID: PMC9965265 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Climbing plants require an external support to grow vertically and enhance light acquisition. Climbers that find a suitable support demonstrate greater performance and fitness than those that remain prostrate. Support search is characterized by oscillatory movements (i.e., circumnutation), in which plants rotate around a central axis during their growth. Numerous studies have elucidated the mechanistic details of circumnutation, but how this phenomenon is controlled during support searching remains unclear. To fill this gap, here we tested whether simulation-based machine learning methods can capture differences in movement patterns nested in actual kinematical data. We compared machine learning classifiers with the aim of generating models that learn to discriminate between circumnutation patterns related to the presence/absence of a support in the environment. Results indicate that there is a difference in the pattern of circumnutation, depending on the presence of a support, that can be learned and classified rather accurately. We also identify distinctive kinematic features at the level of the junction underneath the tendrils that seems to be a superior indicator for discerning the presence/absence of the support by the plant. Overall, machine learning approaches appear to be powerful tools for understanding the movement of plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuran Wang
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35132 Padova, Italy
| | - Tommaso Barbariol
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Gian Antonio Susto
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35132 Padova, Italy
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35132 Padova, Italy
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35132 Padova, Italy
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9
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Rodriguez-Quintero WD, Moreno-Chacón M, Carrasco-Urra F, Saldaña A. From dark to darkness, negative phototropism influences the support-tree location of the massive woody climber Hydrangea serratifolia (Hydrangeaceae) in a Chilean temperate rainforest. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2022; 17:2122244. [PMID: 36476262 PMCID: PMC9733698 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2022.2122244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Climbing plants rely on suitable support to provide the light conditions they require in the canopy. Negative phototropism is a directional search behavior proposed to detect a support-tree, which indicates growth or movement away from light, based on light attenuation. In a Chilean temperate rainforest, we addressed whether the massive woody climber Hydrangea serratifolia (H. et A.) F. Phil (Hydrangeaceae) presents a support-tree location pattern influenced by light availability. We analyzed direction and light received in two groups of juvenile shoots: searching shoots (SS), with plagiotropic (creeping) growth vs. ascending shoots (AS), with orthotropic growth. We found that, in accordance with light attenuation, SS and AS used directional orientation to search and then ascend host trees. The light available to H. serratifolia searching shoots was less than that of the general forest understory; the directional orientation in both groups showed a significant deviation from a random distribution, with no circular statistical difference between them. Circular-linear regression indicated a relationship between directional orientations and light availability. Negative phototropism encodes the light environment's heterogeneous spatial and temporal information, guiding the shoot apex to the most shaded part of the support-tree base, the climbing start point.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. David Rodriguez-Quintero
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Centro de Ecología Aplicada Ltda, Principe de Gales6465La Reina, Chile
| | | | | | - Alfredo Saldaña
- Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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10
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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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11
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Guerra S, Bonato B, Wang Q, Peressotti A, Peressotti F, Baccinelli W, Bulgheroni M, Castiello U. Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11030405. [PMID: 35336779 PMCID: PMC8945197 DOI: 10.3390/biology11030405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Plants such as climbers characterized by stems or tendrils need to find a potential support (e.g., pole, stick, other plants or trees) to reach greater light exposure. Since the time when Darwin carried out research on climbing plants, several studies on plants’ searching and attachment behaviors have demonstrated their unique ability to process some features of a support to modulate their movements accordingly. Nevertheless, the strategies underlying this ability have yet to be uncovered. The present research tries to fill this gap by investigating how the interaction between above- (i.e., stems, tendrils, …) and below-ground (i.e., the root system) plant organs influences the kinematics of their approach-to-grasp movements. Using three-dimensional (3D) kinematic analysis, we characterized the movements of pea plants (Pisum sativum L.) as they leaned towards supports whose below- and above-ground parts were characterized by different thicknesses (i.e., thin below- thick above-ground, or the opposite). As a control condition, the plants were placed next to supports with the same thickness below and above ground (i.e., either entirely thin or thick). The results suggest that the information regarding below- and above-ground parts of a support appears to be integrated and modulates the reach-to-grasp behavior of the plant. Information about the support conveyed by the root system seems to be particularly important to achieve the end-goal of movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (Q.W.)
| | - Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (Q.W.)
| | - Qiuran Wang
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (Q.W.)
| | - Alessandro Peressotti
- Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy;
| | - Francesca Peressotti
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy;
| | | | | | - Umberto Castiello
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.G.); (B.B.); (Q.W.)
- Correspondence:
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12
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Wang Q, Guerra S, Ceccarini F, Bonato B, Castiello U. Sowing the seeds of intentionality: Motor intentions in plants. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2021; 16:1949818. [PMID: 34346847 PMCID: PMC8525965 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2021.1949818] [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: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Motor intention/intentionality has been investigated from a wide variety of perspectives: some researchers have, for example, been focusing on the purely physical and mechanical aspects underlying the control of action, while others have been concentrating on subjective intentionality. Basically, all approaches ranging from the neuroscientific to phenomenological-inspired ones have been used to investigate motor intentions. The current study set out to examine motor intentions in connection to plant behavior utilizing the final goal of plant action as the definition of its motor intention. Taking a wide-angle approach, the first part of the review is dedicated to examining philosophical and psychological studies on motor intentions. Recent data demonstrating that plant behavior does indeed seem goal-directed will then be reviewed as we ponder the possibility of purposeful or intentional plant responses to stimuli and stress conditions in their environment. The article will draw to a close as we examine current theories attempting to explain plants' overt behavior and corresponding covert representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuran Wang
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | | | - Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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13
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Evans WS, Cavanaugh R, Quique Y, Boss E, Starns JJ, Hula WD. Playing With BEARS: Balancing Effort, Accuracy, and Response Speed in a Semantic Feature Verification Anomia Treatment Game. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:3100-3126. [PMID: 34255979 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot a novel treatment framework called BEARS (Balancing Effort, Accuracy, and Response Speed). People with aphasia (PWA) have been shown to maladaptively balance speed and accuracy during language tasks. BEARS is designed to train PWA to balance speed-accuracy trade-offs and improve system calibration (i.e., to adaptively match system use with its current capability), which was hypothesized to improve treatment outcomes by maximizing retrieval practice and minimizing error learning. In this study, BEARS was applied in the context of a semantically oriented anomia treatment based on semantic feature verification (SFV). Method Nine PWA received 25 hr of treatment in a multiple-baseline single-case series design. BEARS + SFV combined computer-based SFV with clinician-provided BEARS metacognitive training. Naming probe accuracy, efficiency, and proportion of "pass" responses on inaccurate trials were analyzed using Bayesian generalized linear mixed-effects models. Generalization to discourse and correlations between practice efficiency and treatment outcomes were also assessed. Results Participants improved on naming probe accuracy and efficiency of treated and untreated items, although untreated item gains could not be distinguished from the effects of repeated exposure. There were no improvements on discourse performance, but participants demonstrated improved system calibration based on their performance on inaccurate treatment trials, with an increasing proportion of "pass" responses compared to paraphasia or timeout nonresponses. In addition, levels of practice efficiency during treatment were positively correlated with treatment outcomes, suggesting that improved practice efficiency promoted greater treatment generalization and improved naming efficiency. Conclusions BEARS is a promising, theoretically motivated treatment framework for addressing the interplay between effort, accuracy, and processing speed in aphasia. This study establishes the feasibility of BEARS + SFV and provides preliminary evidence for its efficacy. This study highlights the importance of considering processing efficiency in anomia treatment, in addition to performance accuracy. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14935812.
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Affiliation(s)
- William S Evans
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Robert Cavanaugh
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, PA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Yina Quique
- Center for Education in Health Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - Emily Boss
- Integrative Reconnective Aphasia Therapy, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Jeffrey J Starns
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst
| | - William D Hula
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, PA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA
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14
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Ceccarini F, Guerra S, Peressotti A, Peressotti F, Bulgheroni M, Baccinelli W, Bonato B, Castiello U. On-line control of movement in plants. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 564:86-91. [PMID: 32747088 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.06.160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
At first glance, plants seem relatively immobile and, unlike animals, unable to interact with the surroundings or escape stressful environments. But, although markedly different from those of animals, movement pervades all aspects of plant behaviour. Here, we focused our investigation on the approaching movement of climbing plants, that is the movement they perform to reach-to-climb a support. In particular, we examined whether climbing plants evolved a motor accuracy mechanism as to improve the precision of their movement and how this eventually differs from animal species. For this purpose, by means of three-dimensional kinematical analysis, we investigated whether climbing plants have the ability to correct online their movement by means of secondary submovements, and if their frequency production is influenced by the difficulty of the task. Results showed, not only that plants correct their movement in flight, but also that they strategically increase the production of secondary submovements when the task requires more precision, exactly as humans do. These findings support the hypothesis that the movement of plants is far cry from being a simple cause-effect mechanism, but rather is appropriately planned, controlled and eventually corrected.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Peressotti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agroalimentari, Ambientali e Animali, Università Degli Studi di Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Francesca Peressotti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Dello Sviluppo e Della Socializzazione, Università Degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | | | - Bianca Bonato
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy
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15
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Can Plants Move Like Animals? A Three-Dimensional Stereovision Analysis of Movement in Plants. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11071854. [PMID: 34206479 PMCID: PMC8300309 DOI: 10.3390/ani11071854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Intrigued by the ability of climbing peas to detect and grasp structures such as garden reeds, we adapted a method classically used to investigate the grasping movement of animals to the study of grasping movements in plants. We used time-lapse photography to document the behavior of pea plants, grown in the vicinity of a support pole. Using this footage, we analyzed the kinematics of tendrils growth and found that their approach and grasp exhibited movement signatures comparable to those characterizing the reach-to-grasp movement of animals. Through our method it may be possible to demonstrate that plants may be more sentient than we give them credit for: namely, they may possess the ability to act intentionally. Abstract In this article we adapt a methodology customarily used to investigate movement in animals to study the movement of plants. The targeted movement is circumnutation, a helical organ movement widespread among plants. It is variable due to a different magnitude of the trajectory (amplitude) exhibited by the organ tip, duration of one cycle (period), circular, elliptical, pendulum-like or irregular shape and the clockwise and counterclockwise direction of rotation. The acquisition setup consists of two cameras used to obtain a stereoscopic vision for each plant. Cameras switch to infrared recording mode for low light level conditions, allowing continuous motion acquisition during the night. A dedicated software enables semi-automatic tracking of key points of the plant and reconstructs the 3D trajectory of each point along the whole movement. Three-dimensional trajectories for different points undergo a specific processing to compute those features suitable to describe circumnutation (e.g., maximum speed, circumnutation center, circumnutation length, etc.). By applying our method to the approach-to-grasp movement exhibited by climbing plants (Pisum sativum L.) it appears clear that the plants scale movement kinematics according to the features of the support in ways that are adaptive, flexible, anticipatory and goal-directed, reminiscent of how animals would act.
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16
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Evans WS, Quique YM. Understanding Speed-Accuracy Processing Dynamics in Aphasia Using Response Time Modeling. Semin Speech Lang 2021; 42:240-255. [PMID: 34261166 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1727251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
People with aphasia demonstrate language impairments evident in both performance accuracy and processing speed, but the direct relationship between accuracy and speed requires further consideration. This article describes two recent attempts to make quantitative progress in this domain using response time modeling: the diffusion model (Ratcliff, 1978) applied to two-choice tasks and a multinomial ex-Gaussian model applied to picture naming. The diffusion model may be used to characterize core linguistic processing efficiency and speed-accuracy tradeoffs independently, and research suggests that maladaptive speed-accuracy tradeoffs lead to performance impairments in at least some people with aphasia. The multinomial ex-Gaussian response time model of picture naming provides a simple and straightforward way to estimate the optimal response time cutoffs for individual people with aphasia (i.e., the cutoff where additional time is unlikely to lead to a correct response). While response time modeling applied to aphasia research is at an early stage of development, both the diffusion model and multinomial ex-Gaussian response time model of picture naming show promise and should be further developed in future work. This article also provides preliminary recommendations for clinicians regarding how to conceptualize, identify, and potentially address maladaptive speed-accuracy tradeoffs for people with aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- William S Evans
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Yina M Quique
- Center for Education in Health, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
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17
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Parise AG, Reissig GN, Basso LF, Senko LGS, Oliveira TFDC, de Toledo GRA, Ferreira AS, Souza GM. Detection of Different Hosts From a Distance Alters the Behaviour and Bioelectrical Activity of Cuscuta racemosa. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:594195. [PMID: 33815431 PMCID: PMC8012508 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.594195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
In our study, we investigated some physiological and ecological aspects of the life of Cuscuta racemosa Mart. (Convolvulaceae) plants with the hypothesis that they recognise different hosts at a distance from them, and they change their survival strategy depending on what they detect. We also hypothesised that, as an attempt of prolonging their survival through photosynthesis, the synthesis of chlorophylls (a phenomenon not completely explained in these parasitic plants) would be increased if the plants don't detect a host. We quantified the pigments related to photosynthesis in different treatments and employed techniques such as electrophysiological time series recording, analyses of the complexity of the obtained signals, and machine learning classification to test our hypotheses. The results demonstrate that the absence of a host increases the amounts of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and β-carotene in these plants, and the content varied depending on the host presented. Besides, the electrical signalling of dodders changes according to the species of host perceived in patterns detectable by machine learning techniques, suggesting that they recognise from a distance different host species. Our results indicate that electrical signalling might underpin important processes such as foraging in plants. Finally, we found evidence for a likely process of attention in the dodders toward the host plants. This is probably to be the first empirical evidence for attention in plants and has important implications on plant cognition studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Geremia Parise
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
- *Correspondence: André Geremia Parise,
| | - Gabriela Niemeyer Reissig
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Luis Felipe Basso
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Luiz Gustavo Schultz Senko
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | | | - Gabriel Ricardo Aguilera de Toledo
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | | | - Gustavo Maia Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
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18
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Calvo P, Trewavas A. Cognition and intelligence of green plants. Information for animal scientists. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 564:78-85. [PMID: 32838964 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.07.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paco Calvo
- Minimal Intelligence Laboratory, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Molecular Plant Science, Kings Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
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