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Temporal Dynamics With and Without a Nervous System: Plant Physiology, Communication, and Movement
Margherita Bianchi1, Silvia Guerra1, Bianca Bonato1
1Department of General Psychology, University of Padua.
Cognitive Science
|June 23, 2025
Summary
Organisms use their sense of time for survival, adapting to environmental changes. This review explores plant temporality, from growth to communication, using a multilevel approach.
Area of Science:
- Interdisciplinary science integrating physics, neuroscience, and bioecological sciences.
- Focus on the temporal dimension across biological systems.
Background:
- Time perception is crucial for organismal survival and adaptation.
- Spatiotemporal variability affects growth, reproduction, and communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the concept of time across scientific disciplines.
- To analyze the temporal dimension of plants, including growth, adaptation, and communication.
- To examine research on plant movement using kinematical analysis.
Main Methods:
- Review of scientific literature from physics, neuroscience, and bioecological sciences.
- Relational and multilevel analytical approach to plant temporality.
- Comparative and critical examination of research on plant movement and timing.
Main Results:
- The ability to perceive time is fundamental for organisms to adapt and survive.
- Plant temporality encompasses growth rates, adaptation strategies, and communication.
- Kinematical analysis provides insights into plant movement and temporal processes.
Conclusions:
- Understanding plant temporality is key to recognizing the central role of time in life.
- Further research can uncover shared or unique temporal mechanisms across species, with or without nervous systems.
- Investigating the timing of plant physiological and communication processes offers broad biological insights.
Keywords:
Comparative cognitionEcological communicationIsochronyKinematicsPhilosophy of timePlant movementPlant physiology and behaviorPlant signalingTemporal processesTime perceptionMore Related Videos
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