Watch a plant illuminate when it is attacked by insects

A new study shows how plants send out internal warning signals in response to an attack by herbivores and activate their defense mechanism.

When an insect feeds on a leaf, it triggers many physiological reactions inside a plant. Plants use calcium as a threat signal that spreads quickly to other leaves. This calcium flux indicates that an attack is in progress and indirectly controls the defense mechanism of the plant.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have now explained this whole process by adding fluorescent green proteins. More than a dozen videos have revealed how glutamate – an abundant neurotransmitter in animals – activates the calcium wave when the plant is attacked by an insect. In a video, a hungry caterpillar could be seen taking out a bit of a leaf. In a few seconds, the plant shines when calcium flows from the damaged area to other leaves.

The fire of fluorescent light shows that calcium is involved in the treatment of information and sends out early warning signals so that the plants can react quickly in the situation. These videos allow researchers to track the flow of calcium in plants and provide the best aspect of their communication systems, which would otherwise remain hidden.

"We know that there is a systemic signaling system, and if you hurt in one place, the rest of the plant triggers its defense reactions. But we did not know what was behind this system, "said Simon Gilroy, professor of botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"We know that if you hurt a leaf, you get an electric charge and you get a spread that moves through the plant," adds Gilroy. What triggered this electrical charge and its movement in the factory was unknown. "

The researchers found that the warning signal was moving rapidly, about one millimeter per second. It is fast enough to deliver wound signals into the cells of the plant in minutes. It takes a few more minutes to activate the defense mechanism so that the plants can prepare for future attacks of caterpillars or other insects. Understanding how plants respond to and defend against insects is crucial to finding ways to stop these attacks.