Nardini A, Cochard H, Mayr S. Talk is cheap: rediscovering sounds made by plants.
Trends Plant Sci 2024:S1360-1385(23)00382-5. [PMID:
38218649 DOI:
10.1016/j.tplants.2023.11.023]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
A recent study and related commentaries have raised new interest in the phenomenon of ultrasonic sound production by plants exposed to stress, especially drought. While recent technological advancements have allowed the demonstration that these sounds can propagate in the air surrounding plants, we remind readers here that research on sound production by plants is more than 100 years old. The mechanisms and patterns of sound emission from plants subjected to different stress factors are also reasonably understood, thanks to the pioneering work of John Milburn and others. By contrast, experimental evidence for a role of these sounds in plant-animal or plant-plant communication remains lacking and, at present, these ideas remain highly speculative.
Collapse