Amazing: Researchers Find That Plants Can Communicate When They’re Under Threat

Not only can coexisting people interact with one another, but so do animals and plants. Words allow humans to communicate their feelings, ideas, and emotions. On the other hand, signals are used by the plant and animal worlds to convey messages. Even while it is hard to think that plants communicate nonverbally, the most recent finding has completely dispelled this theory. In addition to discovering that plants communicate with one another when they perceive danger, a team of molecular scientists from Saitama University in Japan has also captured the incredible phenomena on video. Nature Communications reported the findings.

Under the direction of Takuya Uemura and Yuri Aratani, the scientists found that plants behave differently and modify their behavior when they sense threat. In an experiment, the scientists applied caterpillars to the leaves of tomato plants and Arabidopsis thaliana, a common kind of weed. To further analyze the chemicals’ impact on the nearby plant, they were concentrated in a plastic container before being poured over the recipient plant at a regular pace.

The receiving Arabidopsis plant underwent genetic modification to produce biosensors in its cells that flash green when calcium ions are present. The film revealed a mind-blowing discovery: the uninjured plants replied to signals from their damaged neighbors by displaying calcium signaling over their extended leaves. The researchers identified chemicals Z-3-HAL and E-2-HAL as the source of calcium signals in Arabidopsis by analyzing molecules in the air.

Under genetically manipulated Arabidopsis plants, the scientists found that the guard cells (which produce stomata), mesophyll cells (which are found in the inner leaf tissue), and epidermal cells (which are found in the outermost layer) reacted first to danger messages. The first cells to release calcium signals in response to Z-3-HAL were guard cells and mesophyll cells. Since pre-treating plants with a phytohormone that shuts stomata significantly reduces calcium transmission, stomata act as the “nostrils” of the plant.

The discovery of the “intricate story of when, where, and how plants respond to airborne ‘warning messages’ from their threatened neighbors” thrilled Masatsugu Toyota, a molecular scientist at Saitama University. The study claims that this “ethereal communication,” which is imperceptible to the human eye, is crucial for “safeguarding neighbouring plants” against threats and dangers in a timely manner.