A real-time footage of plants talking to each other has been captured on camera for the first time by a team of Japanese scientists from the Saitama University in Japan, ushering a groundbreaking milestone in plant communication.
This significant achievement, led by molecular biologist Masatsugu Toyota, published in the journal Nature Communications, is a leading breakthrough in Plant Communication.
It features a video showing a real-time footage of plants transmitting defense responses to their neighbours captured when the researchers observed plant communications as part of their studies to explore the subject in a more detailed manner.
Working with Masatsugu Toyota on his team were Yuri Aratani, a Ph.D. student, and Takuya Uemura, a postdoctoral researcher, amongst others.
The study shows an observation of undamaged plants responding to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by other plants experiencing mechanical damage or insect attacks.
The study shows an observation of undamaged plants responding to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by other plants experiencing mechanical damage or insect attacks.
The Arabidopsis plants were genetically engineered to fluoresce green upon detecting calcium ions, which act as stress messengers.
Using a fluorescence microscope, the team could monitor the signals released by the undamaged plants after they received VOCs from the damaged leaves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5PekcVCuEU?si=lVvz6yJQEh5yqapd
