Plants may use newly discovered molecular language to communicate

www.sciencedaily.com...

A scientist has discovered a potentially new form of plant communication, one that allows them to share an extraordinary amount of genetic information with one another. The finding throws open the door to a new arena of science that explores how plants communicate with each other on a molecular level. It also 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.

Westwood 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.

His new work expands this scope of this exchange and examines the mRNA, or messenger RNA, which sends messages within cells telling them which actions to take, such as which proteins to code. It was thought that mRNA was very fragile and short-lived, so transferring it between species was unimaginable.

But Westwood found that during this parasitic relationship, thousands upon thousands of mRNA molecules were being exchanged between both plants, creating this open dialogue between the species that allows them to freely communicate.

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.

Simply amazing! It wasn't long ago that it would be crazy to suggest that plants communicated with each but we have been learning that that line of thought is crazy in itself as we continue to discover that plants do in fact communicate with each other. I look forward to future discoveries regarding this topic!

Good article.

I wonder if I can teach a tree to play pinnacle?

a reply to: Swills

Good find, Swills. S&F

A lot of folks believe DNA is the know-all, be-all, end-all of genetics. IMNSHO, the guy on the mound is about to cut loose with the RNA curveball of all time. Were I a younger man, studies in this area of science would be the focus of my attention and endeavors.

All this time Peta was protesting for the wrong victimized species. Who knew? They should turn their cause to plants...

a reply to: boncho

What will I eat then? I'm already a vegan!!

"Molecular language"

Something about that sounds almost...magical... what molecular language do people speak now?
How did we speak it in the past? Are there any byproducts of speaking on molecular terms?

a reply to: Snarl

MonsterMind mRNA

jk jk jk

originally posted by: Iamthatbish
a reply to: boncho

What will I eat then? I'm already a vegan!!

ETA: My little side trib to Corsair's avatar.

a reply to: Swills

great find

I love Science Daily.

Plants are very interesting & we barely understand their crazy network. They feel pain & do well if you talk and/or sing to them. They do worse if you shout & yell at them. Very interesting stuff to me.

I remember my younger sister telling me about this documentary she watched in class one day. It was about plants & showing the reactions they had to different things (like the above mentioned examples). I can't remember the name of it but it sounded interesting.

a reply to: Iamthatbish

tofu & nuts :p bon appetit

I'm sorry O.P for not replying on topic, but my passion for this subject has caused me the urge to add more information.
Most likely information some people never seen or heard about before, so I grabbed the opportunity to introduce the following information, hoping more people will became aware of the world they live in.
I hope you don't mind. I'm sure you will let me know if you are, I'd appreciate it.

Plants and trees are discovered to communicate through the root system that links together, and also the inter medium that connects all forests together a.k.a. fungus, a family of species who's existence make life on land possible.
Forests for that matter as it re-distributes the nutrients from the decaying life of dead animals and trees throughout all of the forests flora, which is the reason for forests like the Amazon and other jungles to even be able to exist, since the soil they thrive on completely depleted soil.

The cause of carnivorous plant life is a direct result of these depleted soils.

Studies show plants have memory, ( google dancing plant ). Plants communicate chemically, warning their neighbors of hazardous events, like predators, drought etc. In Africa the Acacia tree has been observed to be the cause of massive animal death of the ranch animals, but only those in large herds, as the drought period caused the Acacia to be the only food source left where all others died out. The killing spree was identified when they found massive amounts of a poison only produced in plant life, for killing small critters, like beetles and stuff.

I'll add a link on the bottom of the reply

On the evolution subject observed in plants , studies showed us that their evolution is actually happening in a faster rate then animal evolution.

Reasons given are:
Interconnected root systems, including connections with separate species, which is a direct path of genetic trade, in the easiest explanation.
The Fungi that co-exists with plant and trees, connect whole forests, but in return it gets glucose ( a basic form of sugar) in return, is also a way for genetic cross over to occur.
Cross breeding is also a huge factor, as plants can actually settle in and on others, either by consuming their hosts water and nutrients or collect their own, again a way of DNA to be exchanged in the process.

This new discovery of molecular communication is amazing, but just one of the amazing ways, we've already been baffled about. Thanks for posting !

Links towards a few documentaries, you should have seen, if this subject interests you.

Includes the killing spree among African herds.






The following link is a Ted talk with a relative short, but understandable explanation of the importance of Funghi for life on land, and for our future on various subjects e.g. Pest control, antibiotics, pollution and so on.



I'd like to add that the first 3 links are a complete documentary lasting around 50 minutes or so, I recommend bookmarking them.
The last link on Funghi or in particular Mycelium is only about 18 minutes long.

a reply to: knoledgeispower

Plants are very interesting & we barely understand their crazy network. They feel pain & do well if you talk and/or sing to them. They do worse if you shout & yell at them. Very interesting stuff to me.

plants and trees have been around a lot longer than we have it would make sense that they have a far more complex form of communication...more i imagine then we could ever understand

a reply to: Sinter Klaas

When one learns that we have more bacteria in our bodies than we have our own human cells, one might begin to understand the interconnectedness that is present, and the border of "me" becomes a little more fluid.

Fungus(well yeast) also plays a role in humans to protect us. Candida overgrowth in the gut may be a protective mechanism against heavy metals, gram negative bacteria (Lyme), and other environmental pathogens.

I am totally not surprised to find out that plants are sharing information. We understand so little.

BTW the second book(through 4th) in the Ender's Game series has a major plot line around 'living plants'.

Call me crazy, but I personally think trees have personalities as do plants, flowers, etc. meaning, they seem to have tendencies or characteristics on how they behave with other plants, trees, etc.

For instance, weeds are rude, selfish and will do just about anything to steal real estate, sap nutrients and so forth. Some trees seem to behave the same way also but there seems at times and for no apparent reason a section of a tree will die off. When I see this happen almost always there is another sapling or young tree struggling to survive because its not getting the proper light. Within a month or two you see the taller, older plant kill off 30% of itself while the younger tree branches out to fill in the canopy and finally get some sun.

What I wonder, is this young tree somehow attacking the root system of the older tree to kill off the section or is the older tree sacrificing itself for the betterment of the forest? Curious i say.

ETA: I'm going to go for a walk with a camera and morning coffee. Maybe I'll find an example.

originally posted by: boncho
All this time Peta was protesting for the wrong victimized species. Who knew? They should turn their cause to plants...

This is more like you and your tapeworm.

originally posted by: knoledgeispower
a reply to: Iamthatbish

tofu & nuts :p bon appetit

Those still come from plants silly. I'd have to convert to being a breathatarian!

originally posted by: Iamthatbish

originally posted by: knoledgeispower
a reply to: Iamthatbish

tofu & nuts :p bon appetit

Those still come from plants silly. I'd have to convert to being a breathatarian!

Never knew what tofu was made of in all honesty. Yea but if nuts naturally come off the plants then it should be ok to eat them.