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Published on: September 8, 2023
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Living Plants Ecosystem Sensing: A Quantum Bridge between Thermodynamics and Bioelectricity.
Alessandro Chiolerio1,2,3, Giuseppe Vitiello3,4, Mohammad Mahdi Dehshibi2,3,5
1Center for Converging Technologies, Bioinspired Soft Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16065 Genova, Italy.
Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2023
Summary
This study shows that plant bioelectrical signals, measured in spruce trees, correlate with metabolic activity and environmental changes. These findings suggest forests can act as sophisticated natural sensors.
Area of Science:
- Plant physiology
- Ecology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Understanding plant bioelectrical potentials offers insights into biological activity.
- Plant responses to environmental cycles and collective behavior are complex.
- The Cyberforest Experiment investigates these phenomena in a natural setting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure in situ bioelectric potentials in xylem and phloem of spruce trees.
- To analyze correlations between bioelectrical signals, metabolic activity, and environmental factors.
- To explore the potential of plant ecosystems as environmental sensors.
Main Methods:
- In situ measurement of bioelectric potentials in xylem and phloem.
- Analysis of higher-order complexity measurements and thermodynamic entropy.
- Temporal correlation analysis of bioelectrical signals from multiple trees.
- Exploration through the lens of quantum field theory.
Main Results:
- Bioelectric potentials correlate strongly with thermodynamic entropy and metabolic activity.
- Temporal correlations of bioelectrical signals show synchronization or lags between trees.
- Forests exhibit collective behavior as in-phase elements tuned by environmental conditions.
Conclusions:
- Bioelectrical signals serve as indicators of plant metabolic activity.
- Plant ecosystems demonstrate collective, synchronized behavior.
- Living plant ecosystems show potential as sensitive environmental sensors.
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