The "plant neurobiology" revolution

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Ethology
• Physiology

Background:

• The 21st-century plant neurobiology movement, now plant behavioral biology, integrates plant ethology, whole plant electrophysiology, and plant comparative psychology.
• These subdisciplines are historically marginalized and distinct from mainstream plant physiology.
• A core principle is that plants are highly sensitive to environmental changes, and destructive methods alter normal function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To refute criticisms that plant neurobiology offers no new insights and overlaps entirely with mainstream plant physiology.
• To highlight the unique contributions and epistemologies of the triad disciplines within plant behavioral biology.

Main Methods:

• Historical, philosophical, sociological, and psychological examination of the triad disciplines.
• Analysis of experimental approaches in plant physiology versus plant behavioral biology.

Main Results:

• Eight arguments are presented to counter the claim that plant neurobiology is not novel.
• The study demonstrates that the triad disciplines possess distinct intellectual histories and epistemologies compared to mainstream plant physiology.

Conclusions:

• Plant behavioral biology, encompassing its triad disciplines, offers a unique and valuable perspective on plant function.
• Despite a shared goal of understanding plants, plant behavioral biology and mainstream plant physiology are fundamentally distinct fields.