New findings: Plants have more meaning than expected!

New findings: Plants have more meaning than expected!

Postdoctoral researcher Noori Choi, who works at the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior and the Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior (CASCB) at the University of Konstanz, is currently exploring a promising new direction in plant research. His work has taken a significant turn since he received a three-year grant from the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP). As part of this project, he wants to shift the focus from the study of animal communication to the perception mechanisms of plants.

Choi is particularly studying the perception of apple trees and has contacted Professor Ximena Nelson at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in this context. She encourages him to study the multisensory perception of these plants. The aim of his research is to learn how plants can perceive and integrate environmental cues without having a central nervous system. Choi believes his work with apple trees could open up fundamental new insights into evolutionary communication processes.

The role of molecular approaches

Molecular approaches are required for the desired perception research. These include genetically modified plants. Choi is accompanied by Dr. Lloyd Stringer at Plant & Food Research, who is co-advisor on the project and has already developed genetically modified apple trees. However, the scientific discussion about the perception of plants remains controversial. In particular, there is debate about whether plants can actually perceive and process multisensory inputs.

Choi brings a lot of experience to research: He studied biology at Yonsei University in South Korea and earned his PhD in ecology, evolution and behavior at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. To further support his career, he received a CASCB postdoctoral fellowship in 2022, which benefits outstanding young scientists. His new project is titled “Phyto-Environment: Decoding the Multisensory World of Plants.”

A new image of plants

A central concern of Choi is to change the public perception of plants. He hopes that his research will help people no longer view plants as passive organisms, but rather as active participants in their environment. Given the growing challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss, understanding plant perception is becoming increasingly relevant.

The foundations of Choi's research approach are closely linked to the principles of perception, which are also examined in the context of human perception. At the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, research is carried out, among other things, into how people use redundant sensory information to interact with their environment. These principles, such as Bayesian decision theory, explain how prior knowledge influences perception and supports the integration of sensory information.

Such findings are not only important for plant research, but also enable a deeper understanding of how the human brain works. Current research has shown that humans make statistically optimal use of sensory information, indicating that plants may also implement similar mechanisms.

Choi's work not only represents an innovative approach to studying plant perception, but could also have far-reaching implications for our understanding of communication and adaptation in the organic world.

Further information about the basics of his research can be found on the websites of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and the University of Konstanz: Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics and Campus University of Konstanz.