Plants may be able to “learn” from the environment and adjust their behaviour, much like animals, suggests new research from the University of Western Australia.
The study dropped water onto the plant Mimosa, which closes its leaves when it is hit by water. The plant stopped closing its leaves when it learnt that the repeated disturbance had no real damaging consequence.
Although this shows similar learning behaviour to that seen in animals, the researchers are yet to uncover the biological mechanism behind the behaviour.
Read more at The University of Western Australia