When we are under distress, sorrow, or anxiety, we will try to reach out to someone to pour out our problems. We have mouth to talk and ears to listen. However, plants do not have mouth to talk, ears to listen or eyes to see. In fact, plants talk and listen to each other but not in the way we understand.
A study shows that, plants send out distress signals to other uninjured leaves when [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] they are being attacked or eaten. The response is so fast that within seconds of the attack, the signal has already reached the other leaves, thereby prompting them to begin anticipatory defense responses.
The smell we associate with freshly cut grass is actually a chemical distress call, one used by plants to beg nearby critters to save them from lawnmower blade attack. These chemicals come from the injured parts of the plant and seem to be an alarm. The chemicals the plants pump through the air are a blend of organic molecules — alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and esters which known as volatile organic compounds, VOCs for short.
Apart from that, one of the ways the wild tobacco plant defends itself is by ramping up the production of a toxin in its leaves. This toxin is called nicotine, a poison that paralyzes most plant-eating insects.
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