PLANTS SENSE PESTS AT A DISTANCE AND MAKE THEMSELVES LESS ATTRACTIVE

Plants can sense risk... and then turn nasty! Rooted to the spot, they'll make themselves less appealing to pests like snails and caterpillars

• Studies have shown that plants ‘tell’ each other about the presence of hungry caterpillars
• Once one cabbage is under attack, it sends chemical messages through the air to warn nearby plants

Plants put this protective mechanism in effect even before they are attacked. 

 

Previous studies have shown that plants ‘tell’ each other about the presence of hungry caterpillars, snails and other pests.

For instance, once one cabbage is under attack, it sends chemical messages through the air.  These warn nearby plants to shore up their defence.  Some plants make themselves less tasty.

Read more - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2387451/How-plants-sense-risk--turn-nasty-Some-plants-eavesdropping-potential-predators.html

RELATED

Plants and trees communicate with each other - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/05/botany-news-plants-and-trees.html

More on plants and trees on this blog - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Plants%20and%20Trees 

Link to this post - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2013/08/plants-sense-pests-at-distance-and-make.html

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