Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants
Plants such as climbers characterized by stems or tendrils need to find a potential support (e.g., pole, stick, other plants or trees) to reach greater light exposure. Since the time when Darwin carried out research on climbing plants, several studies on plants’ searching and attachment behaviors ha...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-03-01
|
| Series: | Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/3/405 |
| _version_ | 1797447073625276416 |
|---|---|
| author | Silvia Guerra Bianca Bonato Qiuran Wang Alessandro Peressotti Francesca Peressotti Walter Baccinelli Maria Bulgheroni Umberto Castiello |
| author_facet | Silvia Guerra Bianca Bonato Qiuran Wang Alessandro Peressotti Francesca Peressotti Walter Baccinelli Maria Bulgheroni Umberto Castiello |
| author_sort | Silvia Guerra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plants such as climbers characterized by stems or tendrils need to find a potential support (e.g., pole, stick, other plants or trees) to reach greater light exposure. Since the time when Darwin carried out research on climbing plants, several studies on plants’ searching and attachment behaviors have demonstrated their unique ability to process some features of a support to modulate their movements accordingly. Nevertheless, the strategies underlying this ability have yet to be uncovered. The present research tries to fill this gap by investigating how the interaction between above- (i.e., stems, tendrils, …) and below-ground (i.e., the root system) plant organs influences the kinematics of their approach-to-grasp movements. Using three-dimensional (3D) kinematic analysis, we characterized the movements of pea plants (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) as they leaned towards supports whose below- and above-ground parts were characterized by different thicknesses (i.e., thin below- thick above-ground, or the opposite). As a control condition, the plants were placed next to supports with the same thickness below and above ground (i.e., either entirely thin or thick). The results suggest that the information regarding below- and above-ground parts of a support appears to be integrated and modulates the reach-to-grasp behavior of the plant. Information about the support conveyed by the root system seems to be particularly important to achieve the end-goal of movement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:50:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f42acd2788d64fab8ee1d753894b87c8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:50:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f42acd2788d64fab8ee1d753894b87c82023-11-30T20:51:44ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372022-03-0111340510.3390/biology11030405Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea PlantsSilvia Guerra0Bianca Bonato1Qiuran Wang2Alessandro Peressotti3Francesca Peressotti4Walter Baccinelli5Maria Bulgheroni6Umberto Castiello7Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyAb.Acus S.r.l., 20155 Milan, ItalyAb.Acus S.r.l., 20155 Milan, ItalyDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyPlants such as climbers characterized by stems or tendrils need to find a potential support (e.g., pole, stick, other plants or trees) to reach greater light exposure. Since the time when Darwin carried out research on climbing plants, several studies on plants’ searching and attachment behaviors have demonstrated their unique ability to process some features of a support to modulate their movements accordingly. Nevertheless, the strategies underlying this ability have yet to be uncovered. The present research tries to fill this gap by investigating how the interaction between above- (i.e., stems, tendrils, …) and below-ground (i.e., the root system) plant organs influences the kinematics of their approach-to-grasp movements. Using three-dimensional (3D) kinematic analysis, we characterized the movements of pea plants (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) as they leaned towards supports whose below- and above-ground parts were characterized by different thicknesses (i.e., thin below- thick above-ground, or the opposite). As a control condition, the plants were placed next to supports with the same thickness below and above ground (i.e., either entirely thin or thick). The results suggest that the information regarding below- and above-ground parts of a support appears to be integrated and modulates the reach-to-grasp behavior of the plant. Information about the support conveyed by the root system seems to be particularly important to achieve the end-goal of movement.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/3/405plant behaviorroot-to-shoot signalingcircumnutationclimbing plantskinematics |
| spellingShingle | Silvia Guerra Bianca Bonato Qiuran Wang Alessandro Peressotti Francesca Peressotti Walter Baccinelli Maria Bulgheroni Umberto Castiello Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants Biology plant behavior root-to-shoot signaling circumnutation climbing plants kinematics |
| title | Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants |
| title_full | Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants |
| title_fullStr | Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants |
| title_short | Kinematic Evidence of Root-to-Shoot Signaling for the Coding of Support Thickness in Pea Plants |
| title_sort | kinematic evidence of root to shoot signaling for the coding of support thickness in pea plants |
| topic | plant behavior root-to-shoot signaling circumnutation climbing plants kinematics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/3/405 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT silviaguerra kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants AT biancabonato kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants AT qiuranwang kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants AT alessandroperessotti kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants AT francescaperessotti kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants AT walterbaccinelli kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants AT mariabulgheroni kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants AT umbertocastiello kinematicevidenceofroottoshootsignalingforthecodingofsupportthicknessinpeaplants |