video: Scientists in Japan have uncovered the molecular pathway that helps some plants to sense danger signals and respond to them
Every species in nature is equipped with a strategy to survive in response to danger. Plants, too, have innate systems that are triggered in response to threats, such as insects feeding on them. For example, some plants can recognize "herbivore danger signals" (HDS), which are specific chemicals in oral secretions of insects. This activates a cascade of events in the plant's physiological defense machinery, which leads to the plant developing "immunity" against the predator. However, despite considerable research, exactly how plants recognize these signals has remained a bit of a mystery. In a new study, a team of scientists from Tokyo University of Science, led by Prof Gen-ichiro Arimura, attempts to shed light on exactly how plant HDS systems work.