Virginia Tech professor Jim Westwood has discovered a potentially new form of plant communication at the molecular level. It gives scientists new insight into ways to fight parasitic weeds that wreak havoc on food crops in some of the poorest parts of the world.
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"Now that we have found that they are sharing all this information, the next question is, 'What exactly are they telling each other?" Jim Westwood said.
He examined the relationship between a parasitic plant, dodder, and two host plants, Arabidopsis and tomatoes. In order to suck the moisture and nutrients out of the host plants, dodder uses an appendage called a haustorium to penetrate the plant.
Westwood has previously broken new ground when he found that during this parasitic interaction, there is a transport of RNA between the two species. RNA translates information passed down from DNA, which is an organism's blueprint.
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Through this exchange, the parasitic plants may be dictating what the host plant should do, such as lowering its defenses so that the parasitic plant can more easily attack it. Westwood's next project is aimed at finding out exactly what the mRNA are saying.
Using this newfound information, scientists can now examine if other organisms such a bacteria and fungi also exchange information in a similar fashion. His finding could also help solve issues of food scarcity.
"Parasitic plants such as witchweed and broomrape are serious problems for legumes and other crops that help feed some of the poorest regions in Africa and elsewhere," said Julie Scholes, a professor at the University of Sheffield, U.K., who is familiar with Westwood's work but was not part of this project.
Illustration - When parasitic plants such as dodder attack plants like the sugar beet shown above, there is a vast exchange of genetic information between the plants. (Credit: Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.)
RELATED
PLANTS SHOW SIGNS OF LEARNING AND INTELLIGENCE, AND THEY COMMUNICATE WITH ONE ANOTHER
Read more - http://ottersandsciencenews.blogspot.ca/2014/01/plants-show-signs-of-learning-and.html
The tall, straight trunks of eastern hemlock blend into the mists of an early morning in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Picture: Steve Satushek / Getty Images
PLANTS AND TREES
COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER
The following is from Otters and Science News - Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The trunks of densely packed white poplars create a pretty spectacle in spring sunlight. Picture: Mike Grandmaison / All Canada Photos / Corbis
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Plant and trees communication is a fact, and so is their own manufacture of medication to heal themselves. The following is all backed by science.
The sound of trees when thirsty.
Researchers have recorded the ultrasonic popping noise trees make as they create air bubbles trying to draw in water during drought. The sounds are a hundred times faster than anything the human ear can hear.
Talking plants.
Chilli seeds grow better when grown with basil plants. This suggests that plants are talking via nanomechanical vibrations. Scientists attempted to grow chilli seeds in the presence or absence of other chilli plants, or basil. In the absence of a neighboring plant, germination rates were very low, but when the plants were able to openly communicate with the seeds more seedlings grew.
However when the seeds were separated from the basil plants with black plastic, so that they could not be influenced by either light or chemical signals, they germinated as though they could still communicate with the basil. A partial response was seen for fully grown chilli plants blocked from known communication with the seeds.
The main researcher says that plants are able to positively influence growth of seeds by some as yet unknown mechanism. Bad neighbors, such as fennel, prevent chilli seed germination in the same way. She believes that the answer may involve acoustic signals generated using nanomechanical oscillations from inside the cell which allow rapid communication between nearby plants.
OTHER INTERESTING SCIENTIFIC FACTS
ABOUT PLANTS AND TREES
ABOUT PLANTS AND TREES
The incredible bald cypress, supported by aerial prop roots, grows seemingly from the bottom of this lake in the Everglades, Florida. Picture: James Randklev / Getty Images
How do trees communicate?
Advanced molecular analysis and genetics have been used to study the so-called "talking tree" phenomenon in more detail. Plant leaves release a number of different chemicals, from simple small molecules like ethylene to more complex compounds like methyl jasmonate. These compounds diffuse through the air, and if they come in contact with the leaves of responsive plants, those plants respond with changes in chemical synthesis and growth.
Advanced molecular analysis and genetics have been used to study the so-called "talking tree" phenomenon in more detail. Plant leaves release a number of different chemicals, from simple small molecules like ethylene to more complex compounds like methyl jasmonate. These compounds diffuse through the air, and if they come in contact with the leaves of responsive plants, those plants respond with changes in chemical synthesis and growth.
Plant roots also secrete a number of different communicating chemicals. These compounds aren't able to travel as far through the soil as volatile compounds can drift through the air. Instead they locally fight of insect pests and battle nearby plants for growing room.
This parade of ‘upside-down trees’ lines the famous Avenue des Baobabs, in Menabe, Madagascar. Picture: imagebroker / Alamy
Trees emit aspirin-like chemical when dealing with stress.
Scientist Thomas Karl: "Unlike humans, who are advised to take aspirin as a fever suppressant, plants have the ability to produce their own mix of aspirin-like chemicals, triggering the formation of proteins that boost their biochemical defenses and reduce injury. Our measurements show that significant amounts of the chemical can be detected in the atmosphere as plants respond to drought, unseasonable temperatures, or other stresses."
Read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918170819.htm
Forest plants manufacture their own version of aspirin as well.
Trees emit aspirin-like chemical when dealing with stress.
Scientist Thomas Karl: "Unlike humans, who are advised to take aspirin as a fever suppressant, plants have the ability to produce their own mix of aspirin-like chemicals, triggering the formation of proteins that boost their biochemical defenses and reduce injury. Our measurements show that significant amounts of the chemical can be detected in the atmosphere as plants respond to drought, unseasonable temperatures, or other stresses."
Read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080918170819.htm
Forest plants manufacture their own version of aspirin as well.
Plants talk through their roots
Israeli study shows that plants might be able to communicate underground stress cues and respond to various environmental challenges in ways that have been traditionally attributed to higher organisms.
However, rather than implying advanced coordinated networking of the types found in social birds and mammals, the results demonstrate the existence of a simpler type of networking, whereby apparent coordination might hinge on information leakiness and neighbor eavesdropping.
Illustration - Pea plants can warn each other of danger - (Photo Wiki).
The team, led by Prof. Ariel Novoplansky of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, found that plants are able to perceive and respond to warning signals emitted from the roots of stressed neighbors. They can even actively anticipate coming perils and stresses, such as drought, by picking up on vibes from their buddies.
The results demonstrate that unstressed plants are able to perceive and respond to stress cues emitted by the roots of their drought-stressed neighbors and, via ‘relay cuing,’ elicit stress responses in further unstressed plants.
Israeli study shows that plants might be able to communicate underground stress cues and respond to various environmental challenges in ways that have been traditionally attributed to higher organisms.
However, rather than implying advanced coordinated networking of the types found in social birds and mammals, the results demonstrate the existence of a simpler type of networking, whereby apparent coordination might hinge on information leakiness and neighbor eavesdropping.Illustration - Pea plants can warn each other of danger - (Photo Wiki).
The team, led by Prof. Ariel Novoplansky of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, found that plants are able to perceive and respond to warning signals emitted from the roots of stressed neighbors. They can even actively anticipate coming perils and stresses, such as drought, by picking up on vibes from their buddies.
The results demonstrate that unstressed plants are able to perceive and respond to stress cues emitted by the roots of their drought-stressed neighbors and, via ‘relay cuing,’ elicit stress responses in further unstressed plants.
Talking plants send chemical signals
All scientifically measured with specialized instruments
All scientifically measured with specialized instruments
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