Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Intermediate Value Theorem01:25

The Intermediate Value Theorem

The Intermediate Value Theorem is a foundational result in calculus that guarantees the existence of solutions within certain intervals for continuous functions. Formally, the Intermediate Value Theorem states that if a function f is continuous on the closed interval [a, b], and if N is any value between f(a) and f(b), then there exists at least one c ∈ (a, b) such that f(c) = N. This theorem is instrumental in proving the existence of roots and in analyzing the behavior of continuous functions...
Meristems and Plant Growth02:36

Meristems and Plant Growth

Plants grow throughout their lives; this is called indeterminate growth, and it distinguishes plants from most animals. Although certain parts of plants stop growing (e.g., leaves and flowers), others grow continuously—like roots and stems.
Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots03:02

Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots

Vascular plants, which account for over 90% of the Earth’s vegetation, all undergo primary growth—which lengthens roots and shoots. Many land plants, notably woody plants, also undergo secondary growth—which thickens roots and shoots.
Water and Mineral Acquisition02:34

Water and Mineral Acquisition

Specialized tissues in plant roots have evolved to capture water, minerals, and some ions from the soil. Roots exhibit a variety of branching patterns that facilitate this process. The outermost root cells have specialized structures called root hairs that increase the root surface, thus increasing soil contact. Water can passively cross into roots, as the concentration of water in the soil is higher than that of the root tissue. Minerals, in contrast, are actively transported into root cells.
Limit Laws II01:26

Limit Laws II

In calculus, limit laws serve as foundational tools for evaluating the behavior of functions as inputs approach specific values. Among these, the laws concerning quotients, powers, and roots are particularly useful in breaking down complex expressions.The Quotient Law allows the limit of a division between two functions to be calculated by dividing their individual limits, provided the limit of the denominator exists and is not zero. For example,The Power Law states that the limit of a function...
Responses to Gravity and Touch02:26

Responses to Gravity and Touch

Gravitropism: Plant Responses to Gravity

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A scalable PDMS extraction method for profiling fungal volatile compounds.

Fungal biology and biotechnology·2026
Same author

Species diversity and competition influence nitrogen resorption efficiency in mixed hardwood plantations.

Oecologia·2026
Same author

Social and structural traits influence species gains while resources influence species losses in a native grassland.

Ecology·2026
Same author

Neighbourhood composition dictates expression of soil legacy effects on plant growth.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Growth form and lifespan of herbaceous species mediate the role of traits in short-term drought response.

Nature ecology & evolution·2026
Same author

Is cognition at the root of plant behavior?

Trends in ecology & evolution·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

An Optimized Rhizobox Protocol to Visualize Root Growth and Responsiveness to Localized Nutrients
07:45

An Optimized Rhizobox Protocol to Visualize Root Growth and Responsiveness to Localized Nutrients

Published on: October 22, 2018

Plant root growth and the marginal value theorem.

Gordon G McNickle1, James F Cahill

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Centre, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9. mcnickle@ualberta.ca

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|March 7, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Plants exhibit optimal foraging behavior, investing more resources in nutrient-rich patches, similar to animals. Applying animal foraging models like the marginal value theorem (MVT) offers new insights into plant root foraging strategies.

More Related Videos

A Simple Protocol for Mapping the Plant Root System Architecture Traits
11:09

A Simple Protocol for Mapping the Plant Root System Architecture Traits

Published on: February 10, 2023

Imaging the Root Hair Morphology of Arabidopsis Seedlings in a Two-layer Microfluidic Platform
09:23

Imaging the Root Hair Morphology of Arabidopsis Seedlings in a Two-layer Microfluidic Platform

Published on: August 15, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

An Optimized Rhizobox Protocol to Visualize Root Growth and Responsiveness to Localized Nutrients
07:45

An Optimized Rhizobox Protocol to Visualize Root Growth and Responsiveness to Localized Nutrients

Published on: October 22, 2018

A Simple Protocol for Mapping the Plant Root System Architecture Traits
11:09

A Simple Protocol for Mapping the Plant Root System Architecture Traits

Published on: February 10, 2023

Imaging the Root Hair Morphology of Arabidopsis Seedlings in a Two-layer Microfluidic Platform
09:23

Imaging the Root Hair Morphology of Arabidopsis Seedlings in a Two-layer Microfluidic Platform

Published on: August 15, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Plant Biology
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Organisms require resources for survival, with foraging strategies impacting fitness.
  • Optimality models are common in animal foraging but rare in plant root foraging.
  • Plant root foraging lacks a quantitative, optimal framework.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the applicability of the marginal value theorem (MVT) to plant root foraging.
  • To demonstrate how animal foraging models can inform plant ecology.
  • To advocate for an optimality framework in plant root foraging research.

Main Methods:

  • A simple experiment was designed to observe plant root foraging.
  • Existing literature data was analyzed in the context of MVT.
  • Quantitative analysis of resource patch enrichment and plant investment.

Main Results:

  • Plants demonstrated behavior consistent with MVT predictions.
  • Plants allocated more time and effort to highly enriched resource patches.
  • Data suggests MVT provides novel insights into plant root foraging.

Conclusions:

  • The marginal value theorem (MVT) offers valuable insights into plant root foraging.
  • An explicit optimality framework benefits plant ecology by demanding quantitative analysis.
  • Development of plant-specific foraging models is necessary for future research.