The Secret Social Life of Plants
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The smell of freshly cut grass brings to mind summer vacation and picnics in the park - pleasant associations, at least for us. For plants, that same scent is a harbinger of serious danger. When a plant is injured - say, by the spinning blades of a lawnmower or a very hungry caterpillar, pungent chemicals pour out of the wounds, waft into the air and stick in our noses - and also, to the leaves and stems of nearby plants. Over many generations, eavesdropping plants have evolved to interpret each different combination of compounds as the signature of a specific imminent threat. The scent that corresponds to "caterpillar," for example, prompts plants like tomato and tobacco to churn out bitter toxins in their leaves -- making them yucky . Pla...
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The smell of freshly cut grass brings to mind summer vacation and picnics in the park - pleasant associations, at least for us. For plants, that same scent is a harbinger of serious danger. When a plant is injured - say, by the spinning blades of a lawnmower or a very hungry caterpillar, pungent chemicals pour out of the wounds, waft into the air and stick in our noses - and also, to the leaves and stems of nearby plants. Over many generations, eavesdropping plants have evolved to interpret each different combination of compounds as the signature of a specific imminent threat. The scent that corresponds to "caterpillar," for example, prompts plants like tomato and tobacco to churn out bitter toxins in their leaves -- making them yucky . Pla...
