Plant tropisms as a window on plant computational processes. Issue 4 (10th December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Meroz, Yasmine
• Is Part Of: New phytologist. Volume 229:Issue 4(2021)
• Page Start: 1911
• Page End: 1916
• Publication Date: 2020-12-10
• Subjects: computational processes -- distributed systems -- information‐processing -- mathematical models -- plant tropisms; Botany -- Periodicals; 580
• DOI: 10.1111/nph.17091
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0028-646X

Abstract

Summary: Plants are living information‐processing organisms with highly adaptive behavior, allowing them to prosper in a harsh and fluctuating environment in spite of being sessile. Lacking a central nervous system, plants are distributed systems orchestrating complex computational processes performed at the tissue level. Here I consider plant tropisms as a useful input–output system boasting a robust mathematical description, naturally permitting a dialogue between mathematical modeling and biological observations. I propose tropisms as an ideal framework for the study of plant computational processes, allowing us to infer the relationship between observed tropic responses and known stimuli. I concentrate on macroscopic models, and elucidate this approach by presenting recent examples focusing on computational processes involved at different hierarchical levels of interactions: a plant's interaction with itself and its internal state, with the abiotic environment, and with neighboring plants.