Editorial

3 pages, 178 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication

by Frantisek Baluska and Gustavo Maia Souza

Plants 2024, 13(8), 1132; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081132 - 18 Apr 2024

Viewed by 307

Being sessile organisms that need to effectively explore space (above and below ground) and acquire resources through growth, plants must simultaneously consider multiple possibilities and wisely balance the energy they spend on growth with the benefits for survival [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

Research

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16 pages, 1551 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in the Amount and Distribution of Soil Nutrients and Neighbours Have Differential Impacts on Root and Shoot Architecture in Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

by Habba F. Mahal, Tianna Barber-Cross, Charlotte Brown, Dean Spaner and James F. Cahill, Jr.

Plants 2023, 12(13), 2527; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132527 - 02 Jul 2023

Viewed by 929

Abstract

Plants exhibit differential behaviours through changes in biomass development and distribution in response to environmental cues, which may impact crops uniquely. We conducted a mesocosm experiment in pots to determine the root and shoot behavioural responses of wheat, T. aestivum. Plants were grown [...] Read more.

Plants exhibit differential behaviours through changes in biomass development and distribution in response to environmental cues, which may impact crops uniquely. We conducted a mesocosm experiment in pots to determine the root and shoot behavioural responses of wheat, T. aestivum. Plants were grown in homogeneous or heterogeneous and heavily or lightly fertilized soil, and alone or with a neighbour of the same or different genetic identity (cultivars: CDC Titanium, Carberry, Glenn, Go Early, and Lillian). Contrary to predictions, wheat did not alter relative reproductive effort in the presence of neighbours, more nutrients, or homogenous soil. Above and below ground, the plants’ tendency to use potentially shared space exhibited high levels of plasticity. Above ground, they generally avoided shared, central aerial space when grown with neighbours. Unexpectedly, nutrient amount and distribution also impacted shoots; plants that grew in fertile or homogenous environments increased shared space use. Below ground, plants grown with related neighbours indicated no difference in neighbour avoidance. Those in homogenous soil produced relatively even roots, and plants in heterogeneous treatments produced more roots in nutrient patches. Additionally, less fertile soil resulted in pot-level decreases in root foraging precision. Our findings illustrate that explicit coordination between above- and belowground biomass in wheat may not exist. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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13 pages, 3310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Electrome of a Parasitic Plant in a Putative State of Attention Increases the Energy of Low Band Frequency Waves: A Comparative Study with Neural Systems

by André Geremia Parise, Thiago Francisco de Carvalho Oliveira, Marc-Williams Debono and Gustavo Maia Souza

Plants 2023, 12(10), 2005; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12102005 - 16 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1330

Abstract

Selective attention is an important cognitive phenomenon that allows organisms to flexibly engage with certain environmental cues or activities while ignoring others, permitting optimal behaviour. It has been proposed that selective attention can be present in many different animal species and, more recently, [...] Read more.

Selective attention is an important cognitive phenomenon that allows organisms to flexibly engage with certain environmental cues or activities while ignoring others, permitting optimal behaviour. It has been proposed that selective attention can be present in many different animal species and, more recently, in plants. The phenomenon of attention in plants would be reflected in its electrophysiological activity, possibly being observable through electrophytographic (EPG) techniques. Former EPG time series obtained from the parasitic plant Cuscuta racemosa in a putative state of attention towards two different potential hosts, the suitable bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and the unsuitable wheat (Triticum aestivum), were revisited. Here, we investigated the potential existence of different band frequencies (including low, delta, theta, mu, alpha, beta, and gamma waves) using a protocol adapted from neuroscientific research. Average band power (ABP) was used to analyse the energy distribution of each band frequency in the EPG signals, and time dispersion analysis of features (TDAF) was used to explore the variations in the energy of each band. Our findings indicated that most band waves were centred in the lower frequencies. We also observed that C. racemosa invested more energy in these low-frequency waves when suitable hosts were present. However, we also noted peaks of energy investment in all the band frequencies, which may be linked to extremely low oscillatory electrical signals in the entire tissue. Overall, the presence of suitable hosts induced a higher energy power, which supports the hypothesis of attention in plants. We further discuss and compare our results with generic neural systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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11 pages, 3314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Cannot Activate Traps of the Carnivorous Sundew Plant Drosera capensis: On the Trail of Darwin’s 150-Years-Old Mystery

by Andrej Pavlovič, Ondřej Vrobel and Petr Tarkowski

Plants 2023, 12(9), 1820; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091820 - 28 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1667

Abstract

In his famous book Insectivorous plants, Charles Darwin observed that the bending response of tentacles in the carnivorous sundew plant Drosera rotundifolia was not triggered by a drop of water, but rather the application of many dissolved chemicals or mechanical stimulation. In [...] Read more.

In his famous book Insectivorous plants, Charles Darwin observed that the bending response of tentacles in the carnivorous sundew plant Drosera rotundifolia was not triggered by a drop of water, but rather the application of many dissolved chemicals or mechanical stimulation. In this study, we tried to reveal this 150-years-old mystery using methods not available in his time. We measured electrical signals, phytohormone tissue level, enzyme activities and an abundance of digestive enzyme aspartic protease droserasin in response to different stimuli (water drop, ammonia, mechanostimulation, chitin, insect prey) in Cape sundew (Drosera capensis). Drops of water induced the lowest number of action potentials (APs) in the tentacle head, and accumulation of jasmonates in the trap was not significantly different from control plants. On the other hand, all other stimuli significantly increased jasmonate accumulation; the highest was found after the application of insect prey. Drops of water also did not induce proteolytic activity and an abundance of aspartic protease droserasin in contrast to other stimuli. We found that the tentacles of sundew plants are not responsive to water drops due to an inactive jasmonic acid signalling pathway, important for the induction of significant digestive enzyme activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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13 pages, 2268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decision-Making Underlying Support-Searching in Pea Plants

by Qiuran Wang, Silvia Guerra, Bianca Bonato, Valentina Simonetti, Maria Bulgheroni and Umberto Castiello

Plants 2023, 12(8), 1597; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12081597 - 10 Apr 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1544

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 [...] Read more.

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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14 pages, 2151 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Kin Recognition in an Herbicide-Resistant Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli L.) Biotype

by Le Ding, Huan-Huan Zhao, Hong-Yu Li, Xue-Fang Yang and Chui-Hua Kong

Plants 2023, 12(7), 1498; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12071498 - 29 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1262

Abstract

Despite increasing evidence of kin recognition in natural and crop plants, there is a lack of knowledge of kin recognition in herbicide-resistant weeds that are escalating in cropping systems. Here, we identified a penoxsulam-resistant barnyardgrass biotype with the ability for kin recognition from [...] Read more.

Despite increasing evidence of kin recognition in natural and crop plants, there is a lack of knowledge of kin recognition in herbicide-resistant weeds that are escalating in cropping systems. Here, we identified a penoxsulam-resistant barnyardgrass biotype with the ability for kin recognition from two biotypes of penoxsulam-susceptible barnyardgrass and normal barnyardgrass at different levels of relatedness. When grown with closely related penoxsulam-susceptible barnyardgrass, penoxsulam-resistant barnyardgrass reduced root growth and distribution, lowering belowground competition, and advanced flowering and increased seed production, enhancing reproductive effectiveness. However, such kin recognition responses were not occurred in the presence of distantly related normal barnyardgrass. Root segregation, soil activated carbon amendment, and root exudates incubation indicated chemically-mediated kin recognition among barnyardgrass biotypes. Interestingly, penoxsulam-resistant barnyardgrass significantly reduced a putative signaling (–)-loliolide production in the presence of closely related biotype but increased production when growing with distantly related biotype and more distantly related interspecific allelopathic rice cultivar. Importantly, genetically identical penoxsulam-resistant and -susceptible barnyardgrass biotypes synergistically interact to influence the action of allelopathic rice cultivar. Therefore, kin recognition in plants could also occur at the herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass biotype level, and intraspecific kin recognition may facilitate cooperation between genetically related biotypes to compete with interspecific rice, offering many potential implications and applications in paddy systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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11 pages, 1166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interspecific Drought Cuing in Plants

by Omer Falik and Ariel Novoplansky

Plants 2023, 12(5), 1200; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12051200 - 06 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1347

Abstract

Plants readily communicate with their pollinators, herbivores, symbionts, and the predators and pathogens of their herbivores. We previously demonstrated that plants could exchange, relay, and adaptively utilize drought cues from their conspecific neighbors. Here, we studied the hypothesis that plants can exchange drought [...] Read more.

Plants readily communicate with their pollinators, herbivores, symbionts, and the predators and pathogens of their herbivores. We previously demonstrated that plants could exchange, relay, and adaptively utilize drought cues from their conspecific neighbors. Here, we studied the hypothesis that plants can exchange drought cues with their interspecific neighbors. Triplets of various combinations of split-root Stenotaphrum secundatum and Cynodon dactylon plants were planted in rows of four pots. One root of the first plant was subjected to drought while its other root shared its pot with one of the roots of an unstressed target neighbor, which, in turn, shared its other pot with an additional unstressed target neighbor. Drought cuing and relayed cuing were observed in all intra- and interspecific neighbor combinations, but its strength depended on plant identity and position. Although both species initiated similar stomatal closure in both immediate and relayed intraspecific neighbors, interspecific cuing between stressed plants and their immediate unstressed neighbors depended on neighbor identity. Combined with previous findings, the results suggest that stress cuing and relay cuing could affect the magnitude and fate of interspecific interactions, and the ability of whole communities to endure abiotic stresses. The findings call for further investigation into the mechanisms and ecological implications of interplant stress cuing at the population and community levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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12 pages, 10105 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Classifying Circumnutation in Pea Plants via Supervised Machine Learning

by Qiuran Wang, Tommaso Barbariol, Gian Antonio Susto, Bianca Bonato, Silvia Guerra and Umberto Castiello

Plants 2023, 12(4), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040965 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1630

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 [...] Read more.

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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22 pages, 7293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Systemic Signals Induced by Single and Combined Abiotic Stimuli in Common Bean Plants

by Ádrya Vanessa Lira Costa, Thiago Francisco de Carvalho Oliveira, Douglas Antônio Posso, Gabriela Niemeyer Reissig, André Geremia Parise, Willian Silva Barros and Gustavo Maia Souza

Plants 2023, 12(4), 924; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040924 - 17 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1628

Abstract

To survive in a dynamic environment growing fixed to the ground, plants have developed mechanisms for monitoring and perceiving the environment. When a stimulus is perceived, a series of signals are induced and can propagate away from the stimulated site. Three distinct types [...] Read more.

To survive in a dynamic environment growing fixed to the ground, plants have developed mechanisms for monitoring and perceiving the environment. When a stimulus is perceived, a series of signals are induced and can propagate away from the stimulated site. Three distinct types of systemic signaling exist, i.e., (i) electrical, (ii) hydraulic, and (iii) chemical, which differ not only in their nature but also in their propagation speed. Naturally, plants suffer influences from two or more stimuli (biotic and/or abiotic). Stimuli combination can promote the activation of new signaling mechanisms that are explicitly activated, as well as the emergence of a new response. This study evaluated the behavior of electrical (electrome) and hydraulic signals after applying simple and combined stimuli in common bean plants. We used simple and mixed stimuli applications to identify biochemical responses and extract information from the electrical and hydraulic patterns. Time series analysis, comparing the conditions before and after the stimuli and the oxidative responses at local and systemic levels, detected changes in electrome and hydraulic signal profiles. Changes in electrome are different between types of stimulation, including their combination, and systemic changes in hydraulic and oxidative dynamics accompany these electrical signals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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20 pages, 2838 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Two-Dimensional Model of Photosynthesis in Plant Leaves and Analysis of Induction of Spatial Heterogeneity of CO₂ Assimilation Rate under Action of Excess Light and Drought

by Ekaterina Sukhova, Daria Ratnitsyna, Ekaterina Gromova and Vladimir Sukhov

Plants 2022, 11(23), 3285; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11233285 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1600

Abstract

Photosynthesis is a key process in plants that can be strongly affected by the actions of environmental stressors. The stressor-induced photosynthetic responses are based on numerous and interacted processes that can restrict their experimental investigation. The development of mathematical models of photosynthetic processes [...] Read more.

Photosynthesis is a key process in plants that can be strongly affected by the actions of environmental stressors. The stressor-induced photosynthetic responses are based on numerous and interacted processes that can restrict their experimental investigation. The development of mathematical models of photosynthetic processes is an important way of investigating these responses. Our work was devoted to the development of a two-dimensional model of photosynthesis in plant leaves that was based on the Farquhar–von Caemmerer–Berry model of CO₂ assimilation and descriptions of other processes including the stomatal and transmembrane CO₂ fluxes, lateral CO₂ and HCO₃⁻ fluxes, transmembrane and lateral transport of H⁺ and K⁺, interaction of these ions with buffers in the apoplast and cytoplasm, light-dependent regulation of H⁺-ATPase in the plasma membrane, etc. Verification of the model showed that the simulated light dependences of the CO₂ assimilation rate were similar to the experimental ones and dependences of the CO₂ assimilation rate of an average leaf CO₂ conductance were also similar to the experimental dependences. An analysis of the model showed that a spatial heterogeneity of the CO₂ assimilation rate on a leaf surface should be stimulated under an increase in light intensity and a decrease in the stomatal CO₂ conductance or quantity of the open stomata; this prediction was supported by the experimental verification. Results of the work can be the basis of the development of new methods of the remote sensing of the influence of abiotic stressors (at least, excess light and drought) on plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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14 pages, 1408 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Metabolic Integration of Spectral and Chemical Cues Mediating Plant Responses to Competitors and Herbivores

by Alexander Chautá and André Kessler

Plants 2022, 11(20), 2768; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11202768 - 19 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1437

Abstract

Light quality and chemicals in a plant’s environment can provide crucial information about the presence and nature of antagonists, such as competitors and herbivores. Here, we evaluate the roles of three sources of information—shifts in the red:far red (R:FR) ratio of light reflected [...] Read more.

Light quality and chemicals in a plant’s environment can provide crucial information about the presence and nature of antagonists, such as competitors and herbivores. Here, we evaluate the roles of three sources of information—shifts in the red:far red (R:FR) ratio of light reflected off of potentially competing neighbors, induced metabolic changes to damage by insect herbivores, and induced changes to volatile organic compounds emitted from herbivore-damaged neighboring plants—to affect metabolic responses in the tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima. We address the hypothesis that plants integrate the information available about competitors and herbivory to optimize metabolic responses to interacting stressors by exposing plants to the different types of environmental information in isolation and combination. We found strong interactions between the exposure to decreased R:FR light ratios and damage on the induction of secondary metabolites (volatile and non-volatile) in plants. Similarly, the perception of VOCs emitted from neighboring plants was altered by the simultaneous exposure to spectral cues from neighbors. These results suggest that plants integrate spectral and chemical environmental cues to change the production and perception of volatile and non-volatile compounds and highlight the role of plant context-dependent metabolic responses in mediating population and community dynamics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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Review

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30 pages, 5180 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Stress-Induced Volatile Emissions and Signalling in Inter-Plant Communication

by Joanah Midzi, David W. Jeffery, Ute Baumann, Suzy Rogiers, Stephen D. Tyerman and Vinay Pagay

Plants 2022, 11(19), 2566; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192566 - 29 Sep 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4685

Abstract

The sessile plant has developed mechanisms to survive the “rough and tumble” of its natural surroundings, aided by its evolved innate immune system. Precise perception and rapid response to stress stimuli confer a fitness edge to the plant against its competitors, guaranteeing greater [...] Read more.

The sessile plant has developed mechanisms to survive the “rough and tumble” of its natural surroundings, aided by its evolved innate immune system. Precise perception and rapid response to stress stimuli confer a fitness edge to the plant against its competitors, guaranteeing greater chances of survival and productivity. Plants can “eavesdrop” on volatile chemical cues from their stressed neighbours and have adapted to use these airborne signals to prepare for impending danger without having to experience the actual stress themselves. The role of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in plant–plant communication has gained significant attention over the past decade, particularly with regard to the potential of VOCs to prime non-stressed plants for more robust defence responses to future stress challenges. The ecological relevance of such interactions under various environmental stresses has been much debated, and there is a nascent understanding of the mechanisms involved. This review discusses the significance of VOC-mediated inter-plant interactions under both biotic and abiotic stresses and highlights the potential to manipulate outcomes in agricultural systems for sustainable crop protection via enhanced defence. The need to integrate physiological, biochemical, and molecular approaches in understanding the underlying mechanisms and signalling pathways involved in volatile signalling is emphasised. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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Other

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10 pages, 268 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Decision Making in Plants: A Rooted Perspective

by Jonny Lee, Miguel Segundo-Ortin and Paco Calvo

Plants 2023, 12(9), 1799; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091799 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1933

Abstract

This article discusses the possibility of plant decision making. We contend that recent work on bacteria provides a pertinent perspective for thinking about whether plants make choices. Specifically, the analogy between certain patterns of plant behaviour and apparent decision making in bacteria provides [...] Read more.

This article discusses the possibility of plant decision making. We contend that recent work on bacteria provides a pertinent perspective for thinking about whether plants make choices. Specifically, the analogy between certain patterns of plant behaviour and apparent decision making in bacteria provides principled grounds for attributing decision making to the former. Though decision making is our focus, the discussion has implications for the wider issue of whether and why plants (and non-neural organisms more generally) are appropriate targets for cognitive abilities. Moreover, decision making is especially relevant to the issue of plant intelligence as it is commonly taken to be characteristic of cognition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

9 pages, 1596 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Algal Ocelloids and Plant Ocelli

by Felipe Yamashita and František Baluška

Plants 2023, 12(1), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12010061 - 22 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3273

Abstract

Vision is essential for most organisms, and it is highly variable across kingdoms and domains of life. The most known and understood form is animal and human vision based on eyes. Besides the wide diversity of animal eyes, some animals such as cuttlefish [...] Read more.

Vision is essential for most organisms, and it is highly variable across kingdoms and domains of life. The most known and understood form is animal and human vision based on eyes. Besides the wide diversity of animal eyes, some animals such as cuttlefish and cephalopods enjoy so-called dermal or skin vision. The most simple and ancient organ of vision is the cell itself and this rudimentary vision evolved in cyanobacteria. More complex are so-called ocelloids of dinoflagellates which are composed of endocellular organelles, acting as lens- and cornea/retina-like components. Although plants have almost never been included into the recent discussions on organismal vision, their plant-specific ocelli had already been proposed by Gottlieb Haberlandt already in 1905. Here, we discuss plant ocelli and their roles in plant-specific vision, both in the shoots and roots of plants. In contrast to leaf epidermis ocelli, which are distributed throughout leaf surface, the root apex ocelli are located at the root apex transition zone and serve the light-guided root navigation. We propose that the plant ocelli evolved from the algal ocelloids, are part of complex plant sensory systems and guide cognition-based plant behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Signaling, Behavior and Communication)

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