A paper published today in PLoS ONE shows that the roots of the plants behave in a manner not unlike by a flock of birds or a swarm of insects. Recent research has shown that plants are able to behave based on mutual social interaction with other individuals. More, It has been shown that plants can distinguish between self and non-self roots and that the sensory information collected by one plant is shared with neighboring plants to optimize territorial activities, including competitive behaviors and symbioses with fungi and bacteria. The discovery that plant roots are also able to show a swarming behavior is an exciting finding that open a new window on the complex strategies developed by plants. Here you can download the original paper

It is my pleasure to invite you to the 1st Symposium on Plant Signalling & Behaviour to be held on September 16th-21st 2012 in Perth, Western Australia.
The Symposium will cover themes from Plant Cell Biology and Signalling to Plant Sensory & Behavioural Ecology and Theoretical Botany.
Please visit the web site of the meeting here http://spsb2012.com/ and book these dates in your diary!
I really look forward to seeing you in Perth next year

Endeavour has been launched on its final flight at 8:56 am EDT Monday, May 16, for STS-134’s 16-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS), with the Italian Astronaut Roberto Vittori as the Mission Specialist.

Among the various experiments on board regarding the field of biology and biotechnology, BIOKon In Space (BIOKIS) involves the investigation of seven experiments sponsored by the Italian Space Agency (ASI-Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) in the areas of cellular, biology, radiation and radioprotection, aging, germination and plant growth. These experiments will aim to evaluate various biological species to determine genetic distinctions following short-duration spaceflight.

LINV is the principal investigator for the BIOKIS experiment called Arabidops-ISS (Arabidopsis on ISS). ArabidopS-ISS mainly deals with the alterations in whole gene expression due to microgravity, as well as the analysis of genes involved in the gravitropic response (a plant’s ability to change its growth in response to gravity), with particular attention to the ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) signalling chain. This experiment will elucidate the role of cytoskeleton in gravisensing and the genes involved in the ROS signaling chain. The International Space Station is the only facility able to permit long-term microgravity conditions.

This experiment will be performed using a custom experiment unit placed on the Kayser Italia developed BIOKON container. The Arabidops-ISS activation requires rotating 8 screws 90 degrees clockwise using the ArabidopS-ISS activation tool.

Seedlings of Arabidopsis WT (Wild-Type) and the agravitropic mutant eir1 are grown in AT-Space payloads filled with agar and nutrients. Samples will be fixed with RNAlater prior to entry into Earth’s gravitational field. Temperature and acceleration data will be recorded, in order to perform the ground control experiment.

This study will inspire future scientists to pursue a career studying alterations in plant physiology associated with space flight, which will ultimately improve human existence on orbit.

Video: watch the STS-134 launch in HD!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIfwFLDXFyQ