The potential of plant action potentials

Abstract

The mechanism underlying action potentials is routinely used to explicate the mechanistic model of explanation in the philosophy of science. However, characterisations of action potentials often fixate on neurons, mentioning plant cells in passing or ignoring them entirely. The plant sciences are also prone to neglecting non-neuronal action potentials and their role in plant biology. This oversight is significant because plant action potentials bear instructive similarities to those generated by neurons. This paper helps correct the imbalance in representations of action potentials by offering an overview of the mechanism for plant action potentials and highlighting their similarity to those in neurons. Furthermore, it affirms the role of plant action potentials in discovering the evolution and function of mechanisms of action potentials more broadly. We stress the potential of plants for producing generalisations about action potentials and the possible role of plants as experimental organisms.

A critical review of plant sentience: moving beyond traditional approaches

“…This point is noted by Lee and Calvo (2023) in their analysis of the similarities and differences between plant cells and neurons. Yet, they note that some of the differences in signal propagation are not as large when discussing the Mimosa and the Venus flytrap.…”

“…The proposed equivalence does not end there. As stated, the cells that allow for electrical signalling do so by action potentials just as in neurons (Baluška 2010;Lee and Calvo 2023). In addition, there are receptors for neurotransmitters: "[T]here is evidence that neuronal-like receptors for neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA are expressed in plants.…”

L’anesthésie, un processus commun à tout le vivant

“…Une question est alors de savoir comment cette communication peut être réalisée si les composants responsables du potentiel d'action canonique des animaux sont absents. Les plantes, dont les potentiels d'action présentent des similitudes mais aussi des différences avec ceux enre-gistrés chez les animaux (Figure 2), font l'objet d'un regain d'intérêt récent [27]. Chez la Charophyta Chara corallina, le potentiel d'action, plus lent que le potentiel d'action typique des animaux, implique un influx de Ca 2+ à travers la membrane plasmique des cellules.…”