Credit: Thor Balkhed/Linköping University
Recent developments in bioelectronic technology have allowed researchers to delve into how plants respond to their environment and various stressors. In a recent study, researchers from Linköping University have demonstrated the efficacy of a multi-electrode array to examine the electrical signals within a Venus Flytrap.
Despite lacking a nervous system, plants still rely on electrical signals that are generated as a response to either touch or stress. Commonly used as a model for rapid electrical signaling in plants, the Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) contains sensory hairs that when bent act as an electrical trigger to snap shut. In living organisms, these electrical signals are based on voltage differences between the inside of the cells and the surrounding environment. The difference is generated by ions moving inside and outside of the cell, and when a signal is triggered these ions move through the cell membrane very quickly.
In the study, published in Science Advances, researchers developed a method for utilizing multi-electrode array technology to detect and analyze these electrical signals within a Venus Flytrap. The device is made of a very thin film with around 30 electrodes embedded in it, it also curves to follow the natural curvature of the outside of the plant. With the electrode in place, the researchers stimulated the plant and recorded the electrical impulses while simultaneously filming the plant's movements to be able to later correlate the signal with the closure of the Venus Flytrap. "We can now say with certainty that the electrical signal originates in the sensory hairs of the Venus Flytrap. With our technology, we can also see that the signal mainly spreads radially from the hair, without any clear direction," says Eleni Stavrinidou - associate professor in the Department of Science and Technology at Linköping University, Sweden.
"One of the most important aspects of this study is that we show that bioelectronic technologies, which are extensively used in biomedical research, can be applied to plant physiology research as well, therefore opening possibilities for new discoveries," says Eleni Stavrinidou. Future applications of the technology could include research and development of more stress-resistant plants by better understanding how they respond to stress.