ABSTRACT

This review proposes that plants make smart decision and encourages scientists to formulate and test hypotheses about plant’s decisions as an option to investigate complex phenomena that are hardly explained through the predominant mechanistic approach. Three physiological processes (seed germination and seedling emergence, abortion of reproductive structures, and regulation of photosynthesis) are discussed to illustrate the plant’s ability to make decisions from three different perspectives. It is proposed that plant scientists could access a rich pool of information by formulating and testing hypothesis on plant’s decisions, even when it is not possible elucidating the full mechanism underpinning the decision. Decisions with a strategic component are discussed for seed germination and seedling emergence, in which the plant depends on limited information for making early decisions that will influence its survival and potential growth. Decisions consistent with an analysis of benefit/cost are illustrated with observations from abortion of reproductive structures. Decisions that search the optimization of complex processes are exemplified with the regulation of photosynthesis. For each type of decision, some draft experiments are suggested as exercise on how this framework could be applied. It is proposed that scientists could make experiments with plant’s decisions adapting methods that were developed for other disciplines.

 抽象的

这篇综述提出植物会做出明智的决策，并鼓励科学家制定和测试有关植物决策的假设，作为研究难以通过主要机械方法解释的复杂现象的一种选择。讨论了三个生理过程（种子发芽和幼苗出现、生殖结构的失败和光合作用的调节），以从三个不同的角度说明植物做出决定的能力。有人建议，植物科学家可以通过制定和测试植物决策的假设来获取丰富的信息，即使不可能阐明支持该决策的完整机制。讨论了关于种子发芽和幼苗出苗的具有战略成分的决策，其中植物依赖有限的信息来做出影响其生存和潜在生长的早期决策。通过对生殖结构流产的观察来说明与效益/成本分析一致的决策。寻求复杂过程优化的决策以光合作用的调节为例。对于每种类型的决策，建议进行一些实验草案作为如何应用该框架的练习。建议科学家可以利用为其他学科开发的方法对植物的决策进行实验。