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

Understanding Consciousness

Understanding Consciousness

Consciousness can be defined as the state of being aware of and able to think about one's existence, sensations, and surroundings. It encompasses two major components: awareness and arousal. Awareness pertains to the recognition of environmental stimuli and internal states. At the same time, arousal refers to the physiological readiness to engage with these stimuli, which varies significantly between states like sleep and wakefulness.
Sleep, a crucial state, is characterized by reduced...

Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

Defenses Against Pathogens and Herbivores

Plants present a rich source of nutrients for many organisms, making it a target for herbivores and infectious agents. Plants, though lacking a proper immune system, have developed an array of constitutive and inducible defenses to fend off these attacks.

Overview of Metabolism

Overview of Metabolism

Living cells constantly carry out various chemical reactions which are necessary for their proper functioning. These reactions are interlinked to one another via multiple pathways. The collection of these chemical reactions is known as metabolism.
Plant Metabolism
Sunlight, the primary source of energy in plants, is first absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments present in their leaves. Plants then use this energy to carry out photosynthesis, where water is oxidized into oxygen and carbon dioxide...

Tonicity in Plants

Tonicity in Plants

Plant cells maintain appropriate osmotic balance in extreme conditions. For instance, plants in dry environments store water in vacuoles, limit the opening of their stoma, and have thick, waxy cuticles to prevent unnecessary water loss. Some species of plants that live in salty environments store salt in their roots. As a result, water osmosis occurs in the root from the surrounding soil.
Tonicity
Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water depending on the solute...

Tonicity in Plants

Tonicity in Plants

Tonicity describes the capacity of a cell to lose or gain water. It depends on the quantity of solute that does not penetrate the membrane. Tonicity delimits the magnitude and direction of osmosis and results in three possible scenarios that alter the volume of a cell: hypertonicity, hypotonicity, and isotonicity. Due to differences in structure and physiology, tonicity of plant cells is different from that of animal cells in some scenarios.

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

What defines a gate? The enigmas of K<sup>+</sup> channel structural mechanics.

Trends in plant science·2026

Same author

Progress and ongoing conceptual challenges "on the way to integrative human neuroscience"-ten years after.

Frontiers in integrative neuroscience·2026

Same author

Assessment of the Prevalence of Angiostrongylus cantonensis Infection in Gastropods of Puerto Rico.

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene·2026

Same author

CO<sub>2</sub>-sensitive K<sup>+</sup> channel traffic affects stomata and whole-plant water use.

Journal of integrative plant biology·2026

Same author

A guard cell carbonic anhydrase binds and regulates SLAC1 separate from its catalytic activity.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Cell wall water shields stomata against falling leaf airspace humidity.

The New phytologist·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Published on: July 1, 2019

Debunking a myth: plant consciousness.

Jon Mallatt¹, Michael R Blatt², Andreas Draguhn³

¹The University of Washington WWAMI Medical Education Program at The University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA. jmallatt@uidaho.edu.

|November 16, 2020

Summary

Claims of plant consciousness are misleading. Scientific evidence shows plants reactively sense stimuli, not proactively anticipate, and lack the neural processing indicative of consciousness. Plant learning does not equate to conscious experience.

Keywords:

Cell consciousness Classical (Pavlovian) learning Plant and animal consciousness Plant electrophysiology Proactive behavior Reciprocal signaling

More Related Videos

Optical Clearing of Plant Tissues for Fluorescence Imaging

Optical Clearing of Plant Tissues for Fluorescence Imaging

Published on: January 5, 2022

Optogenetic Activation of Afferent Pathways in Brain Slices and Modulation of Responses by Volatile Anesthetics

Optogenetic Activation of Afferent Pathways in Brain Slices and Modulation of Responses by Volatile Anesthetics

Published on: July 23, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Robotic Sensing and Stimuli Provision for Guided Plant Growth

Published on: July 1, 2019

Optical Clearing of Plant Tissues for Fluorescence Imaging

Optical Clearing of Plant Tissues for Fluorescence Imaging

Published on: January 5, 2022

Optogenetic Activation of Afferent Pathways in Brain Slices and Modulation of Responses by Volatile Anesthetics

Optogenetic Activation of Afferent Pathways in Brain Slices and Modulation of Responses by Volatile Anesthetics

Published on: July 23, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Plant Biology
Philosophy of Mind

Background:

Recent years have seen increased claims of plant consciousness in popular and scientific media.
These claims are potentially misleading, impacting research funding and policy.
Defining basic, primary consciousness is crucial for evaluating these assertions.

Purpose of the Study:

To present new arguments against 12 core claims of plant consciousness.
To critically evaluate the scientific basis for attributing consciousness to plants.
To propose a hypothesis for identifying organisms possessing consciousness.

Main Methods:

Analysis of plant behaviors, distinguishing proactive anticipation from reactive sensing.
Examination of plant electrophysiological signaling for evidence of integrative information processing.
Evaluation of claims regarding classical Pavlovian learning in plants.
Development of a hypothesis based on operant learning and environmental representation.

Main Results:

Plants exhibit reactive sensing and following of stimuli, not proactive, anticipatory behaviors associated with consciousness.
Electrophysiological signaling in plants serves immediate physiological functions, not consciousness-related information processing.
Classical Pavlovian learning in plants, if present, is irrelevant to consciousness as it doesn't require it.
Plants do not meet criteria for affective (emotional) or image-based conscious experience.

Conclusions:

Claims of plant consciousness are highly speculative and lack sound scientific support.
Plants do not demonstrate the necessary behaviors or processing for consciousness.
Further research should focus on organisms demonstrably meeting criteria for conscious experience.