1) Although plants do NOT have nervous systems they do have neurotransmitters. P
ID: 259307 • Letter: 1
Question
1) Although plants do NOT have nervous systems they do have neurotransmitters. Please state what neurotransmitters have been discovered in plants. Do scientists know what the role is of these neurotransmitters? Do you believe that this justifies using the term neurobiology when referring to plants? Briefly justify your answer.
2) It is believed that one of the more sensitive parts of a plant is its root tip. Describe one piece of evidence that shows that plant roots may be able to sense an object before they touch it.
Explanation / Answer
1. Plants use neurotransmitters to signal environmental stress. GABA(gamma amino butyric acid) is the neurotransmitter produced by plants under stress conditions such as drought, salinity, extreme temprature etc. The neurotransmitter GABA provides a signal instructing a protein in membrane of plant cells to alter electrical conductivity preventing passage of negatively charged ions from inside to outside them.
Owing to the mass of data accumulated, plant science has reached a crossloads culminating in the emergence of plant neurobiology. Plants perform complex information processing and use not only action potential but also synaptic mode of cell to cell communication. Thus, the term plant neurobiology appears to be justified.
2. Root apices are specialised not only for uptake of nutrients but also seem to support neuronal like activities bases on plant synapses. When a root tip feels an object, they grow away and are negatively thigmotropic.
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