Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Herbivore-induced Blueberry Volatiles and Intra-plant Signaling
Published on: December 18, 2011
Resonance in herbaceous plant stems as a factor in vibrational communication of pentatomid bugs (Heteroptera:
Jernej Polajnar1, Daniel Svensek, Andrej Cokl
1Department of Entomology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. jernej.polajnar@nib.si
Abstract:
Pentatomid bugs communicate using substrate-borne vibrational signals that are transmitted along herbaceous plant stems in the form of bending waves with a regular pattern of minimal and maximal amplitude values with distance. We tested the prediction that amplitude variation is caused by resonance, by measuring amplitude profiles of different vibrational pulses transmitted along the stem of a Cyperus alternifolius plant, and comparing their patterns with calculated spatial profiles of corresponding eigenfrequencies of a model system. The measured distance between nodes of the amplitude pattern for pulses with different frequencies matches the calculated values, confirming the prediction that resonance is indeed the cause of amplitude variation in the studied system. This confirmation is supported by the resonance profile obtained by a frequency sweep, which matches theoretical predictions of the eigenfrequencies of the studied system. Signal bandwidth influences the amount of amplitude variation. The effect of both parameters on signal propagation is discussed in the context of insect vibrational communication.
Related Concept Videos
Sound Waves: Resonance
Concept of Resonance and its Characteristics
Resonance and Hybrid Structures
Resonance Structures and Resonance Hybrids
The Lewis structure of a nitrite anion (NO2−) may actually be drawn in two different ways, distinguished by the locations of the N–O and N=O bonds.
Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores
Cell Signaling in Plants
Responses to Gravity and Touch

