Planta Sapiens

More about the book

An astonishing window into the inner world of plants reveals their impressive communication, manipulation of other species, and sophisticated movement. While plants lack brains, their internal systems resemble neuronal networks, allowing them to learn, remember, and behave in flexible, goal-directed ways. Paco Calvo, a leading figure in plant signaling and behavior, presents a new perspective on plant intelligence, utilizing tools from animal cognition studies. For instance, wild strawberries can associate light intensity with soil nutrient levels, and flowers can time their pollen production to coincide with pollinator visits. Plants exhibit social intelligence by releasing chemicals to communicate and identify each other, and they make growth investment decisions based on resource availability. Additionally, individual plants display unique preferences, suggesting they have personalities. Calvo also highlights how plants inspire advancements in technology, including robotics and AI. Crucially, he argues for recognizing plants as active agents in the climate crisis, rather than mere resources for carbon capture and food production. This shift in perspective may enable collaboration with plants to address urgent environmental challenges.