Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Cell Signaling in Plants

Cell Signaling in Plants

Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...

Accessory Structures of the Skin: Hair and Hair Follicles

Accessory Structures of the Skin: Hair and Hair Follicles

Hair and hair follicles are integral components of the integumentary system. Hair is a filamentous structure composed mainly of a protein called keratin. It is found on the surface of the skin throughout the body, except for areas such as the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Hair is a keratinous filament growing out of the epidermis. It is primarily made of dead, keratinized cells. Hair strands originate at the epidermal penetration called the hair follicle. The hair shaft is the part...

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.

Light Acquisition

Light Acquisition

In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.

Sensory Functions of the Skin

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Managing pests by increasing predators through late termination of cover crops.

Pest management science·2026

Same author

A Volatile Cue From a Specialist Herbivore Primes Gene Expression Against Biotic Stress in Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima L.).

Plant, cell & environment·2025

Same author

A New Model of the Mechanisms behind Glucose Oxidase Action in Plant Insect Interactions.

Journal of chemical ecology·2025

Same author

Feeding by slugs on maize imposes variable productivity costs but can induce compensatory growth under some conditions.

Pest management science·2025

Same author

Acute toxicity of neonicotinoid insecticides to ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Pennsylvania.

Environmental entomology·2025

Same author

Two new species of Ormyrus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Ormyridae) from Cynipidae (Hymenoptera) galls on Silphium L. (Asteraceae: Heliantheae).

Zootaxa·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus

Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus

Published on: January 30, 2020

Trichomes as sensors: detecting activity on the leaf surface.

John F Tooker¹, Michelle Peiffer, Dawn S Luthe

¹Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA. tooker@psu.edu

Plant Signaling & Behavior

|July 2, 2010

Summary

Tomato plants use glandular trichomes as "early warning" sensors. Damage to these trichomes primes the plant for a stronger defense against insect attacks, revealing a sophisticated plant defense mechanism.

Keywords:

Solanum lycopersicum glandular trichome induced responses jasmonic acid plant-insect interactions sensor tomato

More Related Videos

Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana

Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana

Published on: July 14, 2021

Evaluating Leaf Responses to Microbial Secondary Metabolites Using A High-Throughput Format

Evaluating Leaf Responses to Microbial Secondary Metabolites Using A High-Throughput Format

Published on: December 5, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus

Identification of Novel Regulators of Plant Transpiration by Large-Scale Thermal Imaging Screening in Helianthus Annuus

Published on: January 30, 2020

Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana

Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana

Published on: July 14, 2021

Evaluating Leaf Responses to Microbial Secondary Metabolites Using A High-Throughput Format

Evaluating Leaf Responses to Microbial Secondary Metabolites Using A High-Throughput Format

Published on: December 5, 2025

Area of Science:

Plant Biology
Chemical Ecology
Molecular Plant Science

Background:

Carnivorous plants possess specialized trichomes for prey capture.
The sensory capabilities of trichomes in non-carnivorous plants are less understood.
Glandular trichomes are common plant structures with diverse functions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the sensory function of glandular trichomes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).
To determine if tomato glandular trichomes can act as early warning sensors for herbivore attack.
To elucidate the molecular and biochemical responses triggered by trichome stimulation.

Main Methods:

Behavioral assays to observe plant responses to stimuli.
Molecular techniques to analyze gene expression in trichomes.
Biochemical analyses to identify signaling molecules.
Mechanical disruption of trichomes to assess priming effects.

Main Results:

Caterpillar, moth, and mechanical disruption of glandular trichomes upregulated defense signaling molecules and genes.
Plants with damaged trichomes exhibited a more vigorous defense response upon subsequent induction.
Glandular trichomes on tomato leaves function as mechanosensors detecting surface activity.

Conclusions:

Tomato glandular trichomes serve as crucial "early warning" sensors, detecting herbivore presence or mechanical damage.
Trichome stimulation primes the plant's defense system, enhancing its readiness for herbivore attack.
This finding reveals a sophisticated sensory mechanism in a non-carnivorous plant, broadening our understanding of plant defense.