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Plant Communication

All articles tagged with #plant communication

science29 days ago•9 min saved

Plants Under Stress Emit Ultrasonic Clicks Humans Can’t Hear

Researchers recorded stressed tomato and tobacco plants and found they emit airborne ultrasonic clicks not audible to humans. Stressed plants produce roughly 30–50 sounds per hour (healthy plants are mostly silent), with sounds varying by stress type (dehydration vs. cutting). A machine-learning model could distinguish healthy vs stressed plants and identify the stress type and plant species. The exact origin may be cavitation, and it’s unclear if these sounds are deliberate signals or byproducts. Ecologically, other organisms might hear and respond to these signals, and there could be agricultural uses for monitoring crop health and irrigation.

via SciTechDaily|

#agriculture #cavitation #plant-communication

science3 months ago•1 min saved

Trees Signal Back: How Plants Detect, Defend, and Communicate Under Attack

Trees detect being browsed or chewed by insects, piercing-and-sucking bugs, and even pathogens or nearby stressed trees, using cues from mouthparts, vibrations, saliva, microbes, and emitted signals. In response they boost chemical defenses such as tannins and phenolics, grow tougher leaves, and release volatile compounds to recruit predators of their attackers; some species even share pest information with neighbors to bolster collective defenses, though drought and climate stress can blunt these responses (e.g., Aleppo pines). The piece also engages with questions about tree “feelings” and references Peter Wohlleben’s ideas about the hidden life of trees.

via BBC Wildlife Magazine|

#alarm-signals #chemical-defense #herbivory

science4 months ago•27 min saved

Plants click back: moths use plant distress sounds to pick egg sites

Researchers found female moths (Spodoptera littoralis) can hear ultrasonic sounds emitted by drought-stressed plants and use these cues to decide where to lay eggs. In experiments without real plants, moths preferred locations near a stress sound; when healthy plants were present, they avoided the stressed plants, showing context-based decision-making that integrates sound with smell.

via Earth.com|

#insects #moths #oops

science2 years ago•4 min saved

"Video Captures Plants Communicating Warnings of Danger for the First Time"

Japanese researchers have captured real-time footage of plants transmitting defense responses to their neighbors, marking a groundbreaking discovery in plant communication. The study observed undamaged plants responding to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by neighboring plants experiencing mechanical damage or insect attacks, shedding light on the intricate ways plants communicate to protect themselves from environmental threats. This research broadens our understanding of ecological relationships and plant defense mechanisms, highlighting the complex and subtle interactions within the plant kingdom.

via Earth.com|

#botany #defense-mechanisms #ecology