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Minorsky PV. The "plant neurobiology" revolution. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2024; 19:2345413. [PMID: 38709727 PMCID: PMC11085955 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2024.2345413] [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: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The 21st-century "plant neurobiology" movement is an amalgam of scholars interested in how "neural processes", broadly defined, lead to changes in plant behavior. Integral to the movement (now called plant behavioral biology) is a triad of historically marginalized subdisciplines, namely plant ethology, whole plant electrophysiology and plant comparative psychology, that set plant neurobiology apart from the mainstream. A central tenet held by these "triad disciplines" is that plants are exquisitely sensitive to environmental perturbations and that destructive experimental manipulations rapidly and profoundly affect plant function. Since destructive measurements have been the norm in plant physiology, much of our "textbook knowledge" concerning plant physiology is unrelated to normal plant function. As such, scientists in the triad disciplines favor a more natural and holistic approach toward understanding plant function. By examining the history, philosophy, sociology and psychology of the triad disciplines, this paper refutes in eight ways the criticism that plant neurobiology presents nothing new, and that the topics of plant neurobiology fall squarely under the purview of mainstream plant physiology. It is argued that although the triad disciplines and mainstream plant physiology share the common goal of understanding plant function, they are distinct in having their own intellectual histories and epistemologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter V. Minorsky
- Department of Natural Sciences, Mercy University, Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA
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2
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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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3
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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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4
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Khattar J, Calvo P, Vandebroek I, Pandolfi C, Dahdouh-Guebas F. Understanding interdisciplinary perspectives of plant intelligence: Is it a matter of science, language, or subjectivity? JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE 2022; 18:41. [PMID: 35637487 PMCID: PMC9153103 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-022-00539-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that plants can behave intelligently by exhibiting the ability to learn, make associations between environmental cues, engage in complex decisions about resource acquisition, memorize, and adapt in flexible ways. However, plant intelligence is a disputed concept in the scientific community. Reasons for lack of consensus can be traced back to the history of Western philosophy, interpretation of terminology, and due to plants lacking neurons and a central nervous system. Plant intelligence thus constitutes a novel paradigm in the plant sciences. Therefore, the perspectives of scientists in plant-related disciplines need to be investigated in order to gain insight into the current state and future development of this concept. METHODS This study analyzed opinions of plant intelligence held by scientists from different plant-related disciplines, including ethnobiology and other biological sciences, through an online questionnaire. RESULTS Our findings show that respondents' personal belief systems and the frequency of taking into account other types of knowledge, such as traditional knowledge, in their own field(s) of study, were associated with their opinions of plant intelligence. Meanwhile, respondents' professional expertise, background (discipline), or familiarity with evidence provided on plant intelligence did not affect their opinions. CONCLUSIONS This study emphasizes the influential role of scientists' own subjective beliefs. In response, two approaches could facilitate transdisciplinary understanding among scientists: (1) effective communication designed to foster change in agreement based on presented information; and (2) holding space for an interdisciplinary dialogue where scientists can express their own subjectivities and open new opportunities for collaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Khattar
- Systems Ecology and Resource Management, Department of Organism Biology, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CPi 264/1, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
- Ecology and Biodiversity, Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB, Pleinlaan 2, VUB-APNA-WE, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
- International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology (LINV), Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Viale delle Idee 30, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Tuscany, Italy.
| | - Paco Calvo
- Minimal Intelligence Lab, Department of Philosophy, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Ina Vandebroek
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Life Sciences and Natural Products Institute, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica
- Institute of Economic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY, 10458, USA
| | - Camilla Pandolfi
- International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology (LINV), Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Science, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Viale delle Idee 30, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Tuscany, Italy
| | - Farid Dahdouh-Guebas
- Systems Ecology and Resource Management, Department of Organism Biology, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, CPi 264/1, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
- Ecology and Biodiversity, Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB, Pleinlaan 2, VUB-APNA-WE, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
- Interfaculty Institute of Social-Ecological Transitions - iiTSE, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, Brussels, Belgium
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Abramson CI, Levin M. Behaviorist approaches to investigating memory and learning: A primer for synthetic biology and bioengineering. Commun Integr Biol 2021; 14:230-247. [PMID: 34925687 PMCID: PMC8677006 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2021.2005863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The fields of developmental biology, biomedicine, and artificial life are being revolutionized by advances in synthetic morphology. The next phase of synthetic biology and bioengineering is resulting in the construction of novel organisms (biobots), which exhibit not only morphogenesis and physiology but functional behavior. It is now essential to begin to characterize the behavioral capacity of novel living constructs in terms of their ability to make decisions, form memories, learn from experience, and anticipate future stimuli. These synthetic organisms are highly diverse, and often do not resemble familiar model systems used in behavioral science. Thus, they represent an important context in which to begin to unify and standardize vocabulary and techniques across developmental biology, behavioral ecology, and neuroscience. To facilitate the study of behavior in novel living systems, we present a primer on techniques from the behaviorist tradition that can be used to probe the functions of any organism – natural, chimeric, or synthetic – regardless of the details of their construction or origin. These techniques provide a rich toolkit for advancing the fields of synthetic bioengineering, evolutionary developmental biology, basal cognition, exobiology, and robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles I Abramson
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology at Oklahoma State University, United States of America
| | - Michael Levin
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, United States of America
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6
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Bouteau F, Grésillon E, Chartier D, Arbelet-Bonnin D, Kawano T, Baluška F, Mancuso S, Calvo P, Laurenti P. Our sisters the plants? notes from phylogenetics and botany on plant kinship blindness. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2021; 16:2004769. [PMID: 34913409 PMCID: PMC9208782 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2021.2004769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Before the upheaval brought about by phylogenetic classification, classical taxonomy separated living beings into two distinct kingdoms, animals and plants. Rooted in 'naturalist' cosmology, Western science has built its theoretical apparatus on this dichotomy mostly based on ancient Aristotelian ideas. Nowadays, despite the adoption of the Darwinian paradigm that unifies living organisms as a kinship, the concept of the "scale of beings" continues to structure our analysis and understanding of living species. Our aim is to combine developments in phylogeny, recent advances in biology, and renewed interest in plant agency to craft an interdisciplinary stance on the living realm. The lines at the origin of plant or animal have a common evolutionary history dating back to about 3.9 Ga, separating only 1.6 Ga ago. From a phylogenetic perspective of living species history, plants and animals belong to sister groups. With recent data related to the field of Plant Neurobiology, our aim is to discuss some socio-cultural obstacles, mainly in Western naturalist epistemology, that have prevented the integration of living organisms as relatives, while suggesting a few avenues inspired by practices principally from other ontologies that could help overcome these obstacles and build bridges between different ways of connecting to life.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Bouteau
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Des Énergies de Demain, Université de Paris, France
| | - Etienne Grésillon
- Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales Et Recomposition Des Espaces (Ladyss-umr 7533), Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Denis Chartier
- Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales Et Recomposition Des Espaces (Ladyss-umr 7533), Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | | | - Tomonori Kawano
- Graduate School of Environmental Engineering, University of Kitakyushu 1–1, KitakyushuJapan
| | - František Baluška
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefano Mancuso
- LINV-DiSPAA, Department of Agri-Food and Environmental Science, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
| | - Paco Calvo
- Minimal Intelligence Lab, Department of Philosophy, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Patrick Laurenti
- Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire Des Énergies de Demain, Université de Paris, France
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7
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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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8
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Cazalis R, Cottam R. An approach to the plant body: Assessing concrete and abstract aspects. Biosystems 2021; 207:104461. [PMID: 34166731 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The paper aims at proposing a representation of plants as individuals. The first section selects the population of plants to which this study is addressed. The second section describes the effective architecture of plants as modular systems with fixed and mobile elements, in other words, plants and their extensions. The third section presents how plants integrate the fixed and mobile modules into functional units through three areas of particular relevance to plant growth and development: nutrition, defence and pollination. Based on the tangible elements introduced in the previous sections, the fourth section presents the main issue of the proposal which is not apparent at first glance, namely, the local-global relationship in plants' architecture that determines their individuality as organisms. Finally, in the conclusion, we issue the challenge of developing a collective presentation of plants which satisfies their complementary dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Cazalis
- Dept. of 'Sciences, Philosophies, Societies', ESPHIN, NAXYS, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Ron Cottam
- The Living Systems Project, Department of Electronics and Informatics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.
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9
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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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10
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Tresca G, Marcus O, Politi M. Evaluating herbal medicine preparation from a traditional perspective: insights from an ethnopharmaceutical survey in the Peruvian Amazon. Anthropol Med 2020; 27:268-284. [PMID: 31958994 DOI: 10.1080/13648470.2019.1669939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The field of medical ethnobotany has historically contributed to the advancement of modern pharmaceutical and biomedical science through bringing discoveries from the field into the laboratory. In ethnopharmacology, a sub-field of ethnobotany, there is a concerning lack of ethnographic methods reported in the literature. The ethnographic approach is essential for detailing traditional methods of preparation and administration of plant medicines, yet pharmaceutical researchers overemphasize western epistemologies of medicinal discovery and production. In the present work, we propose an ethnopharmaceutical survey as a model to investigate the culturally recognized standards necessary for the formulation of herbal medicines. Fieldwork based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews examined the modes of preparation employed by traditional healers in the Amazonian region of San Martín, Peru. The authors draw on anthropological insight into plural epistemological encounters and propose an ethnopharmaceutical approach that takes seriously the Amazonian methods and perceptions for the preparation of traditional plant medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Tresca
- Center for Drug Addiction Treatment and Research on Traditional Medicines - Takiwasi, Tarapoto, Peru
| | - Olivia Marcus
- Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Matteo Politi
- Center for Drug Addiction Treatment and Research on Traditional Medicines - Takiwasi, Tarapoto, Peru
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11
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Debono MW, Souza GM. Plants as electromic plastic interfaces: A mesological approach. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2019; 146:123-133. [PMID: 30826433 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2019.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this manuscript, we propose that plants are eco-plastic and electromic interfaces that can drive emergent intelligent behaviours from synchronized electrical networks. Behind the semantic and anthropocentric problems related by many authors to the extensive use of the terms cognition, intelligence or even 'consciousness' for plants, we suggest a more pragmatic perspective, considering the vegetal world to be a complex biosystemic entity that is able to co-build the world or a form of the world or of significant reality via a set of reciprocal, emerging and confluent interactions. Speaking of adaptive sensory modalities involving perceptual binding or a global state of receptivity nonlinearly leading to cognitive functions, learning capabilities and intelligent behaviours of plants seem to be the more realistic and operational model to describe how plants perceive and treat environmental data. In this study, we strongly suggest that the electrome, which mainly involves constant spontaneous emission of low voltage potentials, is an early marker and a unifying factor of whole plant reactivity in a constantly changing environment and is therefore the key to understanding the cognitive nature of plants. This dynamic coupling enables plants to be knowledge-accumulating systems that are used by evolution to progress and survive, while mesological plasticity is a unique means for plants to interact as subjects with their milieu (umwelt) or natural habitat and to co-signify a possible world.
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12
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Nathen T. “Being attentive”: exploring other-than-human agency in medicinal plants through everyday Rastafari plant practices. ANTHROPOLOGY SOUTHERN AFRICA 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/23323256.2018.1468720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tihana Nathen
- Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
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13
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Baluška F, Mancuso S. Plant Cognition and Behavior: From Environmental Awareness to Synaptic Circuits Navigating Root Apices. MEMORY AND LEARNING IN PLANTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-75596-0_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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14
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Ojalehto BL, Medin DL, García SG. Conceptualizing agency: Folkpsychological and folkcommunicative perspectives on plants. Cognition 2017; 162:103-123. [PMID: 28219035 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Revised: 01/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The present research addresses cultural variation in concepts of agency. Across two experiments, we investigate how Indigenous Ngöbe of Panama and US college students interpret and make inferences about nonhuman agency, focusing on plants as a critical test case. In Experiment 1, participants predicted goal-directed actions for plants and other nonhuman kinds and judged their capacities for intentional agency. Goal-directed action is pervasive among living kinds and as such we expected cultural agreement on these predictions. However, we expected that interpretation of the capacities involved would differ based on cultural folktheories. As expected, Ngöbe and US participants both inferred that plants would engage in goal-directed action but Ngöbe were more likely to attribute intentional agency capacities to plants. Experiment 2 extends these findings by investigating action predictions and capacity attributions linked to complex forms of plant social agency recently discovered in botanical sciences (communication, kin altruism). We hypothesized that the Ngöbe view of plants as active agents would productively guide inferences for plant social interaction. Indeed, Ngöbe were more likely than US participants to infer that plants can engage in social behaviors and they also attributed more social agency capacities to plants. We consolidate these findings by using bottom-up consensus modeling to show that these cultural differences reflect two distinct conceptual models of agency rather than variations on a single (universal) model. We consider these findings in light of current theories of domain-specificity and animism, and offer an alternative account based on a folktheory of communication that infers agency on the basis of relational interactions rather than having a mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany L Ojalehto
- Psychology Department, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Road - 102 Swift Hall, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, United States.
| | - Douglas L Medin
- Psychology Department, Northwestern University, 2029 Sheridan Road - 102 Swift Hall, Evanston, IL 60208-2710, United States
| | - Salino G García
- Ngöbe Culture and Language Education Program, Bocas del Toro, Panama
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15
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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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16
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van Loon LC. The Intelligent Behavior of Plants. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 21:286-294. [PMID: 26690331 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2015.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Revised: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants are as adept as animals and humans in reacting effectively to their ever-changing environment. Of necessity, their sessile nature requires specific adaptations, but their cells possess a network-type communication system with emerging properties at the level of the organ or entire plant. The specific adjustments in growth and development of plants can be taken to represent behavior. Their ability to learn from experience and to memorize previous experiences in order to optimize fitness allows effective acclimation to environmental stresses and can be considered a form of intelligence. Intelligent behavior is exemplified by the exceptional versatility of plants to deal with abiotic stresses as well as microbial and insect attack by balancing appropriate defensive reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leendert C van Loon
- Plant-Microbe Interactions, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Abramson CI, Chicas-Mosier AM. Learning in Plants: Lessons from Mimosa pudica. Front Psychol 2016; 7:417. [PMID: 27065905 PMCID: PMC4814444 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This article provides an overview of the early Mimosa pudica literature; much of which is in journals not easily accessible to the reader. In contrast to the contemporary plant learning literature which is conducted primarily by plant biologists, this early literature was conducted by comparative psychologists whose goal was to search for the generality of learning phenomena such as habituation, and classical conditioning using experimental designs based on animal conditioning studies. In addition to reviewing the early literature, we hope to encourage collaborations between plant biologists and comparative psychologists by familiarizing the reader with issues in the study of learning faced by those working with animals. These issues include no consistent definition of learning phenomena and an overreliance on the use of cognition. We suggested that greater collaborative efforts be made between plant biologists and comparative psychologists if the study of plant learning is to be fully intergraded into the mainstream behavior theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles I Abramson
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwater, OK, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwater, OK, USA
| | - Ana M Chicas-Mosier
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwater, OK, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology, Oklahoma State UniversityStillwater, OK, USA
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18
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Kauffman KP. Emotional sentience and the nature of phenomenal experience. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 119:545-62. [PMID: 26272799 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2015.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
When phenomenal experience is examined through the lens of physics, several conundrums come to light including: Specificity of mind-body interactions, feelings of free will in a deterministic universe, and the relativity of subjective perception. The new biology of "emotion" can shed direct light upon these issues, via a broadened categorical definition that includes both affective feelings and their coupled (yet often subconscious) hedonic motivations. In this new view, evaluative (good/bad) feelings that trigger approach/avoid behaviors emerged with life itself, a crude stimulus-response information loop between organism and its environment, a semiotic signaling system embodying the first crude form of "mind". Emotion serves the ancient function of sensory-motor self-regulation and affords organisms - at every level of complexity - an active, adaptive, role in evolution. A careful examination of the biophysics involved in emotional "self-regulatory" signaling, however, acknowledges constituents that are incompatible with classical physics. This requires a further investigation, proposed herein, of the fundamental nature of "the self" as the subjective observer central to the measurement process in quantum mechanics, and ultimately as an active, unified, self-awareness with a centrally creative role in "self-organizing" processes and physical forces of the classical world. In this deeper investigation, a new phenomenological dualism is proposed: The flow of complex human experience is instantiated by both a classically embodied mind and a deeper form of quantum consciousness that is inherent in the universe itself, implying much deeper - more Whiteheadian - interpretations of the "self-regulatory" and "self-relevant" nature of emotional stimulus. A broad stroke, speculative, intuitive sketch of this new territory is then set forth, loosely mapped to several theoretical models of consciousness, potentially relevant mathematical devices and pertinent philosophical themes, in an attempt to acknowledge the myriad questions - and limitations - implicit in the quest to understand "sentience" in any ontologically pansentient universe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Peil Kauffman
- EFS International, 12626 NE 114th Place Kirkland, WA 98033, USA; Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Baluška F, Mancuso S. Root apex transition zone as oscillatory zone. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2013; 4:354. [PMID: 24106493 PMCID: PMC3788588 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2013.00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2013] [Accepted: 08/22/2013] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Root apex of higher plants shows very high sensitivity to environmental stimuli. The root cap acts as the most prominent plant sensory organ; sensing diverse physical parameters such as gravity, light, humidity, oxygen, and critical inorganic nutrients. However, the motoric responses to these stimuli are accomplished in the elongation region. This spatial discrepancy was solved when we have discovered and characterized the transition zone which is interpolated between the apical meristem and the subapical elongation zone. Cells of this zone are very active in the cytoskeletal rearrangements, endocytosis and endocytic vesicle recycling, as well as in electric activities. Here we discuss the oscillatory nature of the transition zone which, together with several other features of this zone, suggest that it acts as some kind of command center. In accordance with the early proposal of Charles and Francis Darwin, cells of this root zone receive sensory information from the root cap and instruct the motoric responses of cells in the elongation zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- František Baluška
- Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany, Department of Plant Cell Biology, University of BonnBonn, Germany
| | - Stefano Mancuso
- LINV – DiSPAA, Department of Agri-Food and Environmental Science, University of FlorenceSesto Fiorentino, Italy
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Marder M. Plant intelligence and attention. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2013; 8:e23902. [PMID: 23425923 PMCID: PMC3906434 DOI: 10.4161/psb.23902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
This article applies the phenomenological model of attention to plant monitoring of environmental stimuli and signal perception. Three complementary definitions of attention as selectivity, modulation and perdurance are explained with reference to plant signaling and behaviors, including foraging, ramet placement and abiotic stress communication. Elements of animal and human attentive attitudes are compared with plant attention at the levels of cognitive focus, context and margin. It is argued that the concept of attention holds the potential of becoming a cornerstone of plant intelligence studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Marder
- Department of Philosophy; The University of the Basque Country; UPV-EHU; Ikerbasque: Basque Foundation for Science; Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country
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