Could plants really be sentient?
- Marco Aurelio GV
- Feb 15, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 27, 2024
If plants are indeed sentient, i.e. they feel fear, euphoria, pain, and pleasure, as well as being sympathetic, what would be the repercussions? Science has discovered a lot so far. The chances are high that this possibility is real. Read on.
Scientific studies and research have detected credible signs that plants not only have feelings "similar" to those of humans and animals but are also aware of their surroundings, drawing up plans for various purposes and often proving that they can memorize them and not just act on instinct.
It's worth pointing out - before making a fuss that may come to nothing - that it's vital to know the degree of perception of this "sentience". In other words, it's not a bad call to exercise some amount of restraint in order to avoid "guesswork" and premature euphoria.
This very discovery, however, could be a turning point - if proven, of course - and therefore, a "paradigm-shift" in humanity's history, especially among vegans and vegetarians.
Nonetheless, astonishing new discoveries have already been detected by scientists!
In the book, "What a Plant Knows", geneticist and plant scientist Daniel Chamovitz concludes that, "plants have sensory mechanisms that allow them to defend themselves against predators. What's more, they react according to the weather and to sounds, such as music."
Another mind-blowing discovery was the sense of solidarity of plants that benefit from longer periods of sunlight. When they realize that their neighbors don't have this privilege, staying in the shade longer and hindering the photosynthesis process, they immediately try to help their "lightless" friends. And they count on the invaluable help of fungi.
Fungi are amazing!
When fungi are asked by plants to help others, they initiate transport of their nutrients to these less privileged plants.
This solidarity is known as "primary perception".
Another study revealed that "fungi also communicate with humans" and fulfill various purposes, which would definitely not be possible with organisms that react only by instinct.
Botanical Internet
In addition to nutrient conduction systems, plants can also communicate with their distant neighbors through a network that functions as a kind of "Botanical Internet".
In this communication, new tactics and strategies can be devised with the aim of avoiding unforeseen events (such as surprise attacks by predators or the imminence of rain or strong winds), helping them to make decisions.
Plants also communicate with parasites and microbes, alerting them to "trouble" elsewhere
Behavioral ecologist Monica Gagliano, a researcher at the University of Western Australia who studies plants using techniques developed for animals, observed: "Plants are fully aware of what is happening around them and, like animals, have routine practices due to their extraordinary capacity for memorization."
5 signs that may suggest plants are sentient:
They use electrical signals to send messages over long distances.
At the imminence of an attack by predators (birds, animals, or insects), all the leaves curl up, producing a movement that changes their shape in order to deceive the enemy.
Carnivores turn towards the light in order to capture the insects they are attracted to.
They have 15 to 20 senses, in addition to the 5 natural human senses.
Their chemical substances are similar to those secreted by animal neurons, which allows them to have cognitive abilities.
As we can figure out, all these capacities don't seem to belong to organisms that react only by instinct.
This evidence, very similar to that of sentient organisms, gave impetus to a manifesto written in 2012 and signed by neuroscientists, neuropharmacologists, neurophysiologists and neuroanatomists from the University of Cambridge in the UK:
The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness:
"Humans are not the only conscious beings in nature. Non-human animals, including all mammals and birds, as well as other creatures such as plants, including octopuses, have neurological
substrates complex enough to sustain consciousness."
The remarkable sentience of trees
Important characters for the sustainability of the environment, trees...
...produce substances that serve as the basis for medicines and teas, as well as fruits, flowers, seeds, fibers, latex, resins, and pigments, serving as a natural food source (and habitat) for various species of animals.
...they absorb the rainwater that falls on the ground and then release it back into the air through the transpiration of their leaves, which will also supply freshwater sources.
...can double the production of a plantation in full soil, as well as improve its quality.
...they can prevent desertification caused by deforestation since their trunks and foliage form a natural barrier against winds and floods.
...when planted in large urban centers, they help to reduce sunlight, reduce, heat, as well as muffle the sound coming from vehicles, buildings, loudspeakers and, of course, chatty people.
...they absorb solar radiation and release oxygen and water, regulating the temperature by increasing the humidity of the air and rainfall.
The Bottomline
It is therefore essential to approach this issue of plant sentience neutrally, free from speculation and guesswork. Any prediction without a scientific basis is just another conspiracy theory.
With this premise in mind, I've only covered the current stages of research trying to find empirical proof that plants do in fact have feelings, just like animals (or at least at a level below them).
After all, Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, stated his very opinion about consciousness:
Finally, we should not forget the fact that there is a big distinction between the ability of plants to respond to stimuli in relation to consciousness and the self-consciousness associated with fully sentient beings.
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