To communicate with others, we, the people, have different languages. But what about other animals and plants? Well, according to a scientist, plants talk to each other using language.
Jim Westwood, a Virginia Tech scientist, made this discovery by looking at the interactions between a parasitic (寄生的) plant called a dodder and two types of host plants, a small flowering plant and a tomato plant. Dodders use a root—like part to enter their host plants and feed on their nutrients.
In previous studies, Westwood had discovered that during this interaction, RNA molecules (分子), which play a crucial role in translating information passed down from DNA, were being passed between the two species.
And recently, Westwood looked into the possibility that a special type of RNA molecules, mRNA or Messenger RNA, were also being exchanged between the parasitic and host plants, mRNA molecules send messages within cells, instructing them on which actions to take and when. Through this exchange, the parasitic plant may be instructing its host to lower its defenses so that the parasitic plant can more easily attack it.
Besides giving us a much deeper insight into the behaviour of plants, this information could help scientists come up with better solutions to fight the parasitic weeds that threaten food crops. Parasitic plants are serious problems for crops that help feed some of the poorest regions in Africa and elsewhere. In addition, it has exciting implications for the design of novel control strategies based on interrupting the mRNA information that the parasite (寄生虫) uses to reprogram the host.
"The beauty of this discovery is that this mRNA could be the Achilles' heel for parasites," Westwood said. "This is all really exciting because there are so many potential implications surrounding this new information. Now that we have found that they are sharing all this information, the next question is, ‘What exactly are they telling each other?'."
