Guerra Silvia, Bonato Bianca, Wang Qiuran, Peressotti Alessandro, Peressotti Francesca, Baccinelli Walter, Bulgheroni Maria, Castiello Umberto
Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy.
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy.
Biology (Basel). 2022 Mar 6;11(3):405. doi: 10.3390/biology11030405.
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 ( 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.
以茎或卷须为特征的攀缘植物等植物需要找到一个潜在的支撑物（如杆子、棍子、其他植物或树木）以获得更多的光照。自从达尔文对攀缘植物进行研究以来，几项关于植物寻找和附着行为的研究已经证明了它们具有独特的能力来处理支撑物的某些特征，从而相应地调节自身的运动。然而，这种能力背后的策略尚未被揭示。本研究试图通过调查植物地上部分（即茎、卷须等）和地下部分（即根系）之间的相互作用如何影响其接近并抓住支撑物的运动学来填补这一空白。通过三维（3D）运动学分析，我们对豌豆植株（L.）向支撑物倾斜时的运动进行了特征描述，这些支撑物的地下部分和地上部分具有不同的粗细（即地下细地上粗，或相反）。作为对照条件，将植株放置在地下和地上粗细相同的支撑物（即要么全细要么全粗）旁边。结果表明，关于支撑物地下部分和地上部分的信息似乎被整合起来，并调节了植物接近并抓住支撑物的行为。根系传达的关于支撑物的信息对于实现运动的最终目标似乎尤为重要。
