Author Topic: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten  (Read 1900 times)

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Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« on: October 25, 2014, 12:53:45 am »
http://www.businessinsider.com/plants-know-they-are-being-eaten-2014-10?utm_content=buffer75de8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
 Inhabitat
COLIN PAYNE, INHABITAT
OCT. 23, 2014, 6:17 PM

Vegetarians and vegans pay heed: New research shows plants know when they're being eaten. And they don't like it.

That plants possess an intelligence is not new knowledge, but according to Modern Farmer, a new study from the University of Missouri shows plants can sense when they are being eaten and send out defense mechanisms to try to stop it from happening.

The study was carried out on thale cress, or Arabidopsis as it's known scientifically, which is closely related to broccoli, kale, mustard greens, and other siblings of the brassica family and is popular for science experiments. It is commonly used in experiments because it was the first plant to have its genome sequenced, and scientists are intimately familiar with how it works.

Going forward with the question of whether a plant knows it's being eaten, the University of Missouri researchers first took a precise audio recording of the vibrations a caterpillar makes as it eats the thale cress leaves, with the working theory that plants could feel or hear the vibrations in some way.

The researchers controlled the experiment by coming up with other vibrations that simulated other natural vibrations like wind noise that the plant might encounter.

The results? According to Modern Farmer, the thale cress produces mustard oils that are mildly toxic when eaten and sends them throughout its leaves to try to keep the predators away. The research also revealed that when the plants felt or heard "munching vibrations" from the caterpillar, they sent out extra mustard oils. But the plants didn't react when other vibrations were present.

"Previous research has investigated how plants respond to acoustic energy, including music," said Heidi Appel, senior research scientist in the Division of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the Bond Life Sciences Center at MU.

"However, our work is the first example of how plants respond to an ecologically relevant vibration. We found that feeding vibrations signal changes in the plant cells' metabolism, creating more defensive chemicals that can repel attacks from caterpillars."


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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2014, 12:56:30 am »
So, I wasn't crazy...the broccoli was angrily staring back at me?   :laugh:
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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2014, 01:03:07 am »
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Offline EC

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2014, 02:08:46 am »
Interesting. Wonder what the actual mechanism is, it can't really be chemical in nature, unlike phototropism, since it is responding to movement. Possibly a modification of the geotropic mechanism?

I find plants fascinating - they are far more complex than most people believe, even showing something that could be (generously) called altruism.
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Offline alicewonders

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2014, 02:15:30 am »
Interesting. Wonder what the actual mechanism is, it can't really be chemical in nature, unlike phototropism, since it is responding to movement. Possibly a modification of the geotropic mechanism?

I find plants fascinating - they are far more complex than most people believe, even showing something that could be (generously) called altruism.

So you're saying that some plants are more highly evolved than Obama voters?

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Offline EC

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2014, 02:23:36 am »
So you're saying that some plants are more highly evolved than Obama voters?

I wouldn't go that far. More evolved than Dem politicians is as far as I'll go.  :whistle:
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Offline alicewonders

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2014, 02:31:13 am »
I wouldn't go that far. More evolved than Dem politicians is as far as I'll go.  :whistle:

You're just trying to be nice and not hurt their feelings!

 **nononono*
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Offline EC

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2014, 02:35:56 am »
You're just trying to be nice and not hurt their feelings!

 **nononono*

Of course I am! Plants do have feelings.  :tongue2:
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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2014, 04:40:04 am »
Of course I am! Plants do have feelings.  :tongue2:

I believe they 'show' happiness and contentment.

My plants love classical music.  And sunlight and water.

...not necessarily in THAT order.   :laugh:
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2014, 05:50:51 pm »
Define "sense" and "sending out defense mechanisms".  The cells of the human body each do the same thing - emitting signals in response to damage - and I hardly think one is going to grant the epithet "intelligent" to individual human cells.

Offline PzLdr

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2014, 02:39:27 am »
The Vegans are screwed.
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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2014, 02:44:35 am »
The Vegans are screwed.

 :beer:

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Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Re: Researchers Have Found That Plants Know They Are Being Eaten
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2014, 04:53:02 am »
I believe they 'show' happiness and contentment.

My plants love classical music.  And sunlight and water.

...not necessarily in THAT order.   :laugh:

I used to play a lot of Nirvana in my place before I got married.

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