Publications by authors named "Robin Lewis Cooper"

Whether through root secretions or by emitting volatile organic compounds, plant communication has been well-documented. While electrical activity has been documented in plants and mycorrhizal bodies on the individual and ramet, electrical propagation as a means of communication plants has been hypothesized but understudied. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that plants can communicate with one another via conductively isolated mycelial pathways.

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Article Synopsis
  • Monitoring electrical signals in plants helps analyze their physiological changes and reactions to environmental stimuli, particularly focusing on how roots respond to chemical cues for resource acquisition.
  • Exposure to L-glutamate has been shown to impact root growth and change calcium ion flux, which can be tracked through electrical signal alterations.
  • A new method for testing root sensitivity to different compounds includes monitoring electrical responses while applying stimuli in a controlled flow system, demonstrating varied sensitivities in different plants to glutamate and potassium chloride.
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Electrical activity is widely used for assessing a plant's response to an injury or environmental stimulus. Commonly, a differential electrode recording between silver wire leads with the reference wire connected to the soil, or a part of the plant, is used. One method uses KCl-filled glass electrodes placed into the plant, similar to recording membrane/cell potentials in animal tissues.

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Monitoring movements of larval Drosophila with electrical detection allows one to record the behaviors without the use of lights and cameras. This is a suitable technique when studying the use of light-sensitive proteins in optogenetic studies. Electrical measures are feasible to use in determining when a larva starts to move or continues to move after a light induced activation of channelrhodopsin.

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Ectothermic animals in areas characterised by seasonal changes are susceptible to extreme fluctuations in temperature. To survive through varied temperatures, ectotherms have developed unique strategies. This study focuses on synaptic transmission function at cold temperatures, as it is a vital component of ectothermic animals' survival.

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