What are plants thinking?

? Spring returns to the earth, everything recovers, flowers bloom, bare branches sprout new buds and regenerate on barren land; The summer is hot, the trees are flourishing and flourishing, and when you look around, it is green; The autumn wind is bleak, some trees turn red and yellow, and the leaves gradually fall, but the fruits are huge, and the seeds are taken away by animals or fall to the ground, starting a new journey; When winter comes, everything becomes silent, and plants curl up and go to sleep, waiting for the next morning. Spring, summer, autumn and winter, all this happened around us.

? Plants can be seen everywhere. In fact, without plants, there would be no human beings. They evolved with this planet and shared the world with us. People praise flowers, which is a symbol of beauty. People praise the grass and its tenacious life. People admire trees and hold their heads high. These plants are no longer simple creatures, but are endowed with various meanings and qualities. However, when poetry and songs stop, wind, flowers and snow no longer fly, plants will still follow their own life trajectory with the rise and fall of the sun and the rotation of the four seasons. People can't help thinking, will plants have their own thoughts like us humans? What are they thinking? When we look at the tree, is the tree looking at us?

? With this question, we want to share a book about plants with you. What are plants thinking? The author of this book is Jacques Dassen, a plant ecology researcher at the French Agricultural Development Research Center. He has published more than 100 scientific articles and books on plants, and has in-depth and unique research on plants. In this book, we will follow the author, explore the secrets of plants together, discover the inner logic under the surface, and understand our ubiquitous but ancient life.

This book is divided into 7 chapters and nearly 40 sections, which respectively describe the perspective of studying plants, the fluidity and sensitivity of plants, the communication between plants, the view of time and the life of * * *. We will summarize these contents into three parts and share them with you. So now, let's walk into the world of plants together.

The first part: the existence of another kind of life

? In this part, we will learn a scientific research angle, such as the universality, fluidity, depersonalization, growth and death of plants.

? There is such a question, are there essential differences between people and plants? This question seems difficult to answer at once. In fact, in the continuous continuation and evolution of life, the gap between human beings and other species has gradually disappeared. The French philosopher Diderot once said that all animals have more or less human characteristics, all minerals have more or less plant characteristics, and all plants have more or less animal characteristics. So many researchers have been looking for similarities between plants and animals to locate plants. Although this method is simple and easy to understand, it has not been recognized by the author. On the contrary, he thinks that if we want to study plants scientifically, we should adopt a neutral and objective attitude and use plant ontology to jump out of the shackles of animals' thoughts. On the other hand, for a long time, people's attitude towards plants is overlooking and utilitarian. Aristotle, a famous philosopher and scientist, said that plants have no soul and metabolism is their only form of existence, so in the ranking of life level, plants are only higher than minerals. Greek traditional customs and Jewish Christianity also believe that plants are not as good as the creation of life. But are plants really inferior to animals? The author obviously doesn't think so. Therefore, on the road of exploring plants, we should uphold neutrality and objectivity and attach importance to it.

? The essence of plants is dependent on the outside world, which is the universality of plants. The life activities of plants are inseparable from light and water. Due to the extreme thirst for light and water, expanding the area has become the primary task of plant life. In the process, they use the environment and change it. This extensiveness is completely opposite to the introversion of animals. How to understand it? For example, an animal is a moving individual, and it has a very clear boundary with the outside world, while animal organs are separated from the outside world. On the other hand, plants are more like evolving themselves and living in harmony with nature. Physiologically, plants are born directly according to heaven and earth, with one end reaching into the sky and the other end buried in the ground. 99.8% of its material energy comes only from light, air and water, and it is self-sufficient. Animals are more like accessories of plants. They need to eat plants and breathe oxygen made by plants.

? On the other hand, the dependence of plants on the outside world is reflected in its endless vitality, and growth and death are carried out at the same time. Plants do not directly renew cell tissues, but renew and expand tissues by adding new cells around dead cells. The death of animals is clearly defined, while plants look more like sleeping in the long river of time. This ability to grow indefinitely depends on the totipotency of plant cells. To put it another way, when we are in our mother's belly, what we will look like when we grow up is already doomed. Embryos are similar to miniature models of animals. For plants, this is just the beginning. The number of leaves and roots is unknown. It can live and grow anywhere. You will find that a tree may live for hundreds of years, but it will still be as unruly as when it was young. In fact, hundreds of years may be young. No fixed number of seeds will grow after being generated.

? The extensiveness of plants is closely related to the immobility of plants, which inevitably involves the movement of plants.

? There are many opinions about the movement of plants. For example, during the Renaissance, scientists thought that the movement of plants was a mechanical behavior that was not controlled by themselves. Others think that plants are magnetized by the sun and move. Robert hooper proposed in 1797 that the movement of plant leaves and fruits is very similar to the movement of animal muscles, which is the embodiment of animal functions in plants. This provides a framework for people to study after they know it.

? Due to the lack of mobility, plants are more dependent on the environment than animals, and they are also better at finding and transforming nutrients from the environment. Yes, plants will move for photosynthesis. This movement and its growth process are complementary, and even mixed. The movement of plants emphasizes the exploration of space, and at the same time it is growing. Therefore, when studying plant movement, the first thing to look at is the growth of plants. The branches of a tree can stretch freely like an antenna, and the roots move flexibly in the land. The secondary terminal cells of roots grow, pushing the ends of roots deeper into the soil. The outer cells of root cap can secrete mucus, which is beneficial to the extension of root tip in soil. However, this growth movement is relatively slow, at least difficult to measure with the naked eye. In the past, when the technology was not developed enough, botanists used the projection of plants on glass or some smoked glass plates to record this movement. Now, it is more practical to observe with digital photography technology.

? In addition to the movement produced by plant growth, there are also some easily observed movements, such as mimosa and insect-eating plants. Some plants have evolved the ability to eat insects. When insects fly into their traps, they immediately wrap the traps and secrete substances to dissolve and digest them. Mimosas contract their leaves when stimulated. These movements are called reflex movements by botanists. Similar to animals, the closing process of mimosa leaves is also triggered by electrical signals. It is easy to think of the word nerve. For animals, exercise is a response to the transmission of nerve impulses, which are controlled by the central nervous system represented by the brain and spinal cord. So is there an autonomic nerve? The author tells us that plants have no nerves, and electrical signals are transmitted in phloem. Compared with animals, the propagation speed of electrical pulses in plants is much slower, about 5 cm per second.

? It is not difficult to find that in the study of plants, we still tend to compare animals, which is not the research method approved by the author. Next, the author will talk about plant sensitivity and communication from the perspective of plants.

Part II: Plant sensitivity and plant communication.

? Can plants perceive the external environment? The answer is yes. One of the most unique characteristics of a plant is its extensive connection with the external environment, especially its ability to receive various signals. At present, it is considered that plants have no self-consciousness, so the author regards this perceptual ability of plants as "sensitivity" rather than "feeling". So what can plants perceive? First, gravity perception. It is not difficult to find that trees basically grow vertically. The gravity perception of plants exists in the root tip and is carried out through a movable starch granule. At the same time, this substance determines the position of the gravity-sensitive part of the root, and the cells containing this substance are called balance cells. The information transmission produced by the connection between this substance and cell membrane affects the production and distribution of auxin, enabling plants to control their own growth and keep vertical. As for the underground growth of plant stems and roots, it is influenced by gravity.

? Then there is the photosensitivity of plants. Plants are very sensitive to light because they need photosynthesis. Whether it is static or moving, infinite growth or axisymmetric growth trend, it is to satisfy your thirst for light. Chloroplasts in plants contain photoreceptors, which are used to feel the intensity, composition and spectral composition of light, as well as the changes of reflected light from nearby objects with time. Plants have 1 1 kinds of photoreceptors, while human retina has only 4 kinds. The importance of visible light to plants. Plants can also detect the length of light waves reflected by our clothes, hair and skin through their sensitivity to light. But there is no depth to perceive the spatial environment through reflected light, just like projecting space on plants. In other words, it can detect our existence, but it can't determine our specific location. What's the use? Take corn as an example. A corn can detect the existence of other plants within 3 meters around it, so as to grow as tall as possible and avoid neighbors occupying space.

? Of course, plants are also sensitive to mechanical stimuli and chemicals. The best example is the growth of plant roots. Based on the sensitivity to mechanical stimulation, roots can cleverly avoid obstacles and continue to sneak into soil particles. Lianas can be wound around the scaffold. There are also mimosa and cordyceps mentioned above, which can sense mechanical stimulation and vibration stimulation, thus making the leaves shrink. Plants' perception of chemical molecules is particularly important in two aspects. First, plants look for nutrients in the soil, so that the roots move slowly; The second is to recognize volatile organic molecules and react. For example, we know that plants can perceive ethylene and thus ripen fruits. The parasitic plant Cuscuta chinensis showed obvious sensitivity to chemicals. This plant has no photosynthesis, and its task is to find a suitable host. Once the seeds of Cuscuta chinensis germinate, they will spiral and explore the surrounding chemical environment. Once a suitable plant parasitism is found nearby, that is, the chemicals released by nearby plants are determined, Cuscuta chinensis will stop looking and grow towards the host until the parasitism is successful.

? Another hot topic is the influence of music on plants. Compared with many people, music can change the growth or other characteristics of plants. However, the conclusion given by the author is not so ideal, and plants have no subjective ideology, because at present, the influence of music on plants only exists in the influence of vocal vibration. In other words, plants can't recognize music, but they can feel the vibration that produces music.

? Although plants have no subjective consciousness, communication between plants still exists. Of course, by communication, we mean the ability to convey information. In fact, the information transmission of plants is even more perfect than that of animals. This information transmission channel can be in the air, underground, internal or external, and they can even jointly resist foreign enemies through information exchange. 1983, Ian Bob Wen and Jack Schultz announced this discovery. When they extracted a small part of the epidermis of maple leaf seedlings, the contents of tannin and toxic phenolic compounds in all leaves of these maple leaf seedlings increased. Not only that, they also release chemicals to remind the surrounding trees, and then these trees synthesize substances with antibiotic properties. However, research shows that more often, this kind of air transmission through volatile chemicals is more for the service of plants, which is risky. However, pea seedlings can receive information of sudden drought from neighboring plants through underground passages. Less than a quarter of an hour after the seedlings of neighboring plants encounter water shortage pressure, the seedlings in those areas with sufficient water also close their stomata to reduce water consumption. There are many similar behaviors among plants. For example, when a plant is attacked by harmful fungi, other plants adjacent to it will learn the news of fungal invasion through underground hyphae. Of course, in addition to the transmission of external information, the transmission of various signals such as hormones in plants, that is, the communication within plants, also exists all the time. At present, there is one thing that people can't prove, and that is whether there is sound communication in plants. Maybe this idea will be verified one day.

Part III: Plant's view of time and life.

? In the last part, we introduced the sensitivity of plants and the communication between plants. In this part, we will talk about the time view of plants and the relationship between plants.

? The time view of plants can be divided into four types. One is a linear, continuous and leisurely time form. From this point of view, plants grow slowly, calmly and continuously. One is a repetitive and rhythmic time form reflected by physiology, such as the change of plants with seasons. There is also a random and chaotic time form, which is mainly manifested in the face of some emergencies. These three views of time are intertwined and influence each other. The fourth is the evolutionary time view of plants. In the time view of evolution, what we see is the characteristics left by the continuation of species from generation to generation. Plants have become more and more complex and concentrated in the long river of time. For example, existing plants have shown the characteristics of "flower hermaphroditism" more generally than their ancient ancestors, which means that they can pollinate themselves and are beneficial to inheritance.

? Time will pass, but people can look for the past in their memories. Do plants also have memories? In an experiment, leeches with their heads cut off can regrow their heads from undifferentiated cells in the body and retain their memories before being destroyed. In other words, memory can be stored outside the brain. Plants don't have so-called heads, can they also have memories? The author tells us that it is inaccurate to say that plants leave traces, and they have no memory. Not only that, plants will show a sense of passivation in the face of repeated stimuli. An experimental group let mimosa fall from the ground 15 cm for 60 consecutive times, with an interval of 5- 10 second each time. The results showed that all mimosa were hinged at first, but with the increase of impact times, mimosa gradually stopped folding and finally opened completely. Researchers call this phenomenon the habituation of plants, but it still doesn't mean that plants have memories or forget them.

? Do you remember that plants have a periodic view of time? This periodic change is easy to observe. This periodic change is both external and internal, and the external law is the rhythm under the influence of celestial movement, just like our day and night changes and seasonal changes. But plants have their own inherent periodic rhythm, and the cycle of this rhythm is slightly higher than 24 hours. It can be said that the growth of plants is influenced by internal and external rhythms. For example, green beans will bloom only when the sunshine conditions conform to the internal rhythm of light sensitivity. In addition to light, plants are also sensitive to the periodic rhythm of the moon, which may come from the gravitational effect between the moon and the earth.

? Dormancy is an interesting point about the time view of plants. Plant dormancy can also be regarded as a compensation measure for its inability to move in space, which can make plants cope with risks reasonably under the limitation of extreme environment. The same is true of seeds. Only when the surrounding conditions are favorable will it begin to sprout. The author calls this way a jump of plants in time. The greatest significance of the plant time view, I think, is the last point mentioned by the author, because seasons and plant life cycles are integrated with each other, and the plant time view makes human time more heavy and dynamic. It witnessed the close integration and harmonious unity of human's view of time and cosmology. I think this is its greatest significance.

? Finally, talk about the growth of plants. * * * Health, describing the close, lasting, stable and mutually beneficial relationship between organisms of different species. It may be surprising, but in fact, the relationship between * * * has long existed. About/kloc-0.6 billion years ago, protocells were born with photosynthetic cyanobacteria and evolved into chloroplasts of today's plant cell species. About 900 million years ago, some purple-red bacteria were absorbed by protocells and became mitochondria responsible for energy conversion. They divide independently in cells and are not affected by cell division and anxiety division. In addition, in the underground where we can't see, the roots of fungi and plants grow together Fungi steal organic matter from plants that they can't produce, and plants get more nutrition from their efficient transportation network. There is also the spread of pollen. Bees collect nectar. In this process, plants rub pollen on bees, so that bees can spread pollen for plants while obtaining nectar. Of course, some plants have evolved a cunning side, inducing insects to pollinate for free. So do the fruits of plants. Elephants eat juicy fruits and travel long distances to expel stones and feces, so that plants can reproduce. Even some plants, when invaded by natural enemies, will release chemicals, attracting natural enemies to destroy them, which makes people lament the magic of nature.

? Finally, let's take a look. First of all, when we talk about studying plants, we should jump out of the thinking of analogy animals and start from the perspective of objective science. Then we introduce the extension of plants, the life and death of plants, the movement and sensitivity of plants, the communication between plants, the time view of plants and some phenomena of * * *. So far, the book "What Are Plants Thinking" has been shared with everyone. Thank you for reading!

Finally, I want to share with you an original golden sentence:

1. There are many opinions about the movement of plants. For example, during the Renaissance, scientists believed that the movement of plants was a mechanical behavior that was not controlled by themselves.

2. One of the most unique characteristics of a plant is its extensive connection with the external environment, especially its ability to receive various signals.

3. The time view of plants can be divided into four types, one is a linear, continuous and leisurely time form. From this point of view, plants grow slowly, calmly and continuously.

In fact, the information transmission of plants is even more perfect than that of animals. This information transmission channel can be in the air, underground, internal or external, and they can even jointly resist foreign enemies through information exchange.

5. Plants will move for photosynthesis. This movement and its growth process are complementary, and even mixed.

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