Plant Communication with Each Other and Their Environment

An Overview

Authors

  • Aida Saad Bader Botany Division, Biology Department. Faculty of Science, El-Mergib University, Al-Khums, Libya
  • Hosam Ali Ashokri Botany Division, Biology Department. Faculty of Science, El-Mergib University, Al-Khums, Libya.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59743/jaf.v9i2.690

Keywords:

Plant Communication, Environment, Physiology, Agriculture, VOCs

Abstract

This study explores how plants communicate with each other and their environment, focusing on both biological and non-biological signals. It also examines the implications of plant communication for agriculture and ecosystems. Plants use various methods to communicate with their surroundings, including vocal, kinetic, chemical, and genetic interactions. They interact with their environment by emitting and detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sounds, and they can respond to specific light wavelengths while perceiving signals from other living and non-living entities. Additionally, plants can sense and distinguish between different types of touch. These interactions trigger responses that help plants adapt and thrive. This paper discusses the mechanisms behind plant communication and the factors driving these interactions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abubakar, M. S. a., & Attanda, M. L. (2022). Factors that cause seed dormancy. Seed biology updates: IntechOpen.

Al-Babili, S., & Bouwmeester, H. J. (2015). Strigolactones, a novel carotenoid-derived plant hormone. Annual review of plant biology, 66(1), 161-186. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-arplant-043014-114759

Appel, H., & Cocroft, R. (2023). Plant ecoacoustics: a sensory ecology approach. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 38(7), 623-630. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2023.02.001

Babikova, Z., Gilbert, L., Bruce, T. J., Birkett, M., Caulfield, J. C., Woodcock, C., Pickett, J. A., Johnson, D. (2013). Underground signals carried through common mycelial networks warn neighbouring plants of aphid attack. Ecology letters, 16(7), 835-843. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12115

Biedrzycki, M. L., Jilany, T. A., Dudley, S. A., & Bais, H. P. (2010). Root exudates mediate kin recognition in plants. Communicative & integrative biology, 3(1), 28-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4161/cib.3.1.10118

Bouwmeester, H., Schuurink, R. C., Bleeker, P. M., & Schiestl, F. (2019). The role of volatiles in plant communication. The Plant Journal, 100(5), 892-907. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14496

Casson, S. A., & Lindsey, K. (2003). Genes and signaling in root development. New Phytologist, 158(1), 11-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00705.x

Chehab, E. W., Yao, C., Henderson, Z., Kim, S., & Braam, J. (2012). Arabidopsis touch-induced morphogenesis is jasmonate-mediated and protects against pests. Current Biology, 22(8), 701-706. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.02.061

Crepy, M. A., & Casal, J. J. (2015). Photoreceptor‐mediated kin recognition in plants. New Phytologist, 205(1), 329-338. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13040

Datta, T., Kumar, R. S., Sinha, H., & Trivedi, P. K. (2024). Small but mighty: Peptides regulating abiotic stress responses in plants. Plant, Cell & Environment, 47(4), 1207-1223. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.14792

Duran-Flores, D., & Heil, M. (2016). Sources of specificity in plant-damaged self-recognition. Current opinion in plant biology, 32, 77-87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2016.06.019

Etherton, B. A., Choudhury, R. A., Alcalá Briseño, R. I., Mouafo-Tchinda, R. A., Plex Sulá, A. I., Choudhury, M., Adhikari, A., Lei, S. L., Kraisitudomsook, N., Buritica, J. R., Cerbaro, V. A., Ogero, K., Cox. C. M., Walsh, S. P., Andrade-Piedra, J. L., Omondi, P. A., Navarette, I., McEwan, M. A., Garrett, K. A. (2024). Disaster plant pathology: Smart solutions for threats to global plant health from natural and human-driven disasters. Phytopathology®, 114(5), 855-868. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-03-24-0079-FI

Forterre, Y., Skotheim, J. M., Dumais, J., & Mahadevan, L. (2005). How the Venus flytrap snaps. Nature, 433(7024), 421-425. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03185

Gagliano, M., Grimonprez, M., Depczynski, M., & Renton, M. (2017). Tuned in: Plant roots use sound to locate water. Oecologia, 184(1), 151-160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-017-3862-z

Guo, W., Xing, Y., Luo, X., Li, F., Ren, M., & Liang, Y. (2023). Reactive oxygen species: a crosslink between plant and human eukaryotic cell systems. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(17), 13052. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713052

Hall, R. M., Urban, B., Wagentristl, H., Karrer, G., Winter, A., Czerny, R., & Kaul, H.-P. (2021). Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) causes severe yield losses in soybean and impairs Bradyrhizobium japonicum infection. Agronomy, 11(8), 1616. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081616

Jones, J. D., & Dangl, J. L. (2006). The plant immune system. Nature, 444(7117), 323-329. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05286

Jung, J., Kim, S.-K., Kim, J. Y., Jeong, M.-J., & Ryu, C.-M. (2018). Beyond chemical triggers: evidence for sound-evoked physiological reactions in plants. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.00025

Karban, R. (2021). Plant communication. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 52(1), 1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-010421-020045

Karban, R., Orrock, J. L., Preisser, E. L., & Sih, A. (2016). A comparison of plants and animals in their responses to the risk of consumption. Current opinion in plant biology, 32, 1-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2016.05.002

Karpiński, S. (2022). Plants Talk to One Another. ACADEMIA. The magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 67-69-67-69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24425/academiaPAS.2022.144001

Kegge, W., Ninkovic, V., Glinwood, R., Welschen, R. A., Voesenek, L. A., & Pierik, R. (2015). Red: far-red light conditions affect the emission of volatile organic compounds from barley (Hordeum vulgare), leading to altered biomass allocation in neighbouring plants. Annals of botany, 115(6), 961-970. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcv036

Mescher, M. C., & De Moraes, C. M. (2015). Role of plant sensory perception in plant–animal interactions. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66(2), 425-433. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eru414

Nagashima‐KASAHARA, A., Higaki, T., Koeduka, T., Ishigami, K., Hosokawa, S., Watanabe, H., Matsui, K., Hasezawa, S., Touhara, K. (2021). Transcriptional regulators involved in responses to volatile organic compounds in plants. The FASEB Journal, 35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.S1.00109

Nawaz, M., Sun, J., Shabbir, S., Khattak, W. A., Ren, G., Nie, X., Bo, Y., Javed, Q., Du, D., Sonne, C. (2023). A review of plants' strategies to resist biotic and abiotic environmental stressors. Science of The Total Environment, 900, 165832. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165832

Orrock, J. L., Connolly, B. M., Choi, W.-G., Guiden, P. W., Swanson, S. J., & Gilroy, S. (2018). Plants eavesdrop on cues produced by snails and induce costly defenses that affect insect herbivores. Oecologia, 186, 703-710. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4070-1

Pienaar, J. W. (2005). The effect of wind on the performance of the grapevine. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University.

Pierik, R., & Ballaré, C. L. (2021). Control of plant growth and defense by photoreceptors: from mechanisms to opportunities in agriculture. Molecular Plant, 14(1), 61-76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2020.11.021

Press, M. C., & Phoenix, G. K. (2005). Impacts of parasitic plants on natural communities. New Phytologist, 166(3), 737-751. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01358.x

Sachse, R., Westermeier, A., Mylo, M., Nadasdi, J., Bischoff, M., Speck, T., & Poppinga, S. (2020). Snapping mechanics of the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(27), 16035-16042. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2002707117

Sanabria, N. M., Huang, J.-C., & Dubery, I. A. (2010). Self/non-self-perception in plants in innate immunity and defense. Self/non-self, 1(1), 40-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4161/self.1.1.10442

Santner, A., Calderon-Villalobos, L. I. A., & Estelle, M. (2009). Plant hormones are versatile chemical regulators of plant growth. Nature Chemical Biology, 5(5), 301-307. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.165

Semchenko, M., Saar, S., & Lepik, A. (2014). Plant root exudates mediate neighbor recognition and trigger complex behavioral changes. New Phytologist, 204(3), 631-637. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12930

Siddiqui, Z. A., & Pichtel, J. (2008). Mycorrhizae: an overview. Mycorrhizae: sustainable agriculture and forestry, 1-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8770-7_1

Thaler, J. S., Humphrey, P. T., & Whiteman, N. K. (2012). Evolution of jasmonate and salicylate signal crosstalk. Trends in plant science, 17(5), 260-270. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2012.02.010

Wang, X., Wen, H., Suprun, A., & Zhu, H. (2025). Ethylene Signaling in Regulating Plant Growth, Development, and Stress Responses. Plants, 14(3), 309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030309

Willis, A., Rodrigues, B., & Harris, P. J. (2013). The ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 32(1), 1-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07352689.2012.683375

Witzany, G. (2006). Plant communication from a biosemiotics perspective: Differences in abiotic and biotic signal perception determine the content arrangement of response behavior. Context determines the meaning of meta-, inter-and intraorganismic plant signaling. Plant signaling & behavior, 1(4), 169-178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4161/psb.1.4.3163

Witzany, G. (2008). The biosemiotics of plant communication. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5840/ajs2008241/34

Witzany, G. (2019). Communication is the main characteristic of life. Handbook of Astrobiology, 91-105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/b22230-9

Downloads

Published

20-07-2025

Issue

Section

Applied Sciences

Categories

How to Cite

Bader, A. S. ., & Ashokri, H. A. . (2025). Plant Communication with Each Other and Their Environment: An Overview. Journal of the Academic Forum, 9(2), 255-273. https://doi.org/10.59743/jaf.v9i2.690