So many weird and wonderful aspects of nature and evolutionary biology!

“Rhoades [zoologist and chemist] had watched a nearby forest be decimated by an invasion of caterpillars. But then something suddenly changed; the caterpillars began to die. Why? The answer, Rhoades discovered, was that the trees were communicating with one another. Trees that the caterpillars hadn't yet reached were ready: They'd changed the composition of their leaves, turning them into weapons that would poison, and eventually kill, the caterpillars.”

#Science is awesome 🧬🦾🚀🤯 

The Mysteries of Plant ‘Intelligence’

Science is awesome 🧬🦾🚀🤯

So many weird and wonderful aspects of nature and evolutionary biology!  “Rhoades [zoologist and chemist] had watched a nearby forest be decimated by an invasion of caterpillars. But then something suddenly changed; the caterpillars began to die. Why? The answer, Rhoades discovered, was that the trees were communicating with one another. Trees that the caterpillars hadn't yet reached were ready: They'd changed the composition of their leaves, turning them into weapons that would poison, and eventually kill, the caterpillars.”  #Science is awesome 🧬🦾🚀🤯  The Mysteries of Plant ‘Intelligence’ Scientists are debating whether concepts such as memory, consciousness, and communication can be applied beyond the animal kingdom. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/06/plant-consciousness-intelligence-light-eaters/678207/

Sam Mendoza

What do vegetarians have to say about this??! 😏

Nate

It determined that plants can, indeed, make memories, and can display their memory recall though learned response. Better yet, they were able to learn quickly – in as little as one day. Lack of nervous system aside, the mimosa pudica, or “sensitive plant,” started displaying learned responses in as little as one day.

https://www.ambius.com/resources/blog/lighter-side-of-plants/are-plants-intelligent#:~:text=It%20determined%20that%20plants%20can,as%20little%20as%20one%20day.

It determined that plants can, indeed, make memories, and can display their memory recall though learned response. Better yet, they were able to learn quickly – in as little as one day. Lack of nervous system aside, the mimosa pudica, or “sensitive plant,” started displaying learned responses in as little as one day.  https://www.ambius.com/resources/blog/lighter-side-of-plants/are-plants-intelligent#:~:text=It%20determined%20that%20plants%20can,as%20little%20as%20one%20day.

Tasia

Isn't this a question of consciousness?
Since we have no idea what consciousness is or how it arises this is going to be a tough one.

Soil microbes themselves can "communicate", they release volatile organic compounds that are used to communicate over long distances. Rhizobium can communicate with specific plants, beans and peas. The plant releases isoflavones, which cause the Rhizobium to go towards it, and then they release "nod-factors", which causes the plant to create room for them to live in the root system. Together they have a symbiotic advantage.

Are Rhizobium conscious also? They are communicating with plants afterall. And the plants are communicating with them, both via chemical signals.

Without a definition of conciousness, it's difficult to tell what's going on. This could just be the what evolution has ended up with for these systems.

shown through research that plants are much more complex and sophisticated than we once thought

They are complex and sophisticated. That doesn't necessarily mean they are conscious.

Isn't this a question of consciousness? Since we have no idea what consciousness is or how it arises this is going to be a tough one.  Soil microbes themselves can "communicate", they release volatile organic compounds that are used to communicate over long distances. Rhizobium can communicate with specific plants, beans and peas. The plant releases isoflavones, which cause the Rhizobium to go towards it, and then they release "nod-factors", which causes the plant to create room for them to live in the root system. Together they have a symbiotic advantage.  Are Rhizobium conscious also? They are communicating with plants afterall. And the plants are communicating with them, both via chemical signals.  Without a definition of conciousness, it's difficult to tell what's going on. This could just be the what evolution has ended up with for these systems.  shown through research that plants are much more complex and sophisticated than we once thought  They are complex and sophisticated. That doesn't necessarily mean they are conscious.

Jerome Cody

My wife prefers her plants to me.
This is a fact.
;)

My wife prefers her plants to me. This is a fact. ;)

"Plants have been found to show sensitivity to sound, store information to be accessed later, and communicate among their kind—and even, in a sense, with particular animals."

🤯 what will the vegetarians say now?!

"Plants have been found to show sensitivity to sound, store information to be accessed later, and communicate among their kind—and even, in a sense, with particular animals."  🤯 what will the vegetarians say now?!

Sam Mendoza

A group of likeminded people in ScholER are talking about this.