At the ‘roots’ of motor intentions

Project Information

ROOMors

Grant agreement ID: 101096728

DOI

10.3030/101096728

EC signature date 11 May 2023

Start date 1 September 2023

End date 31 August 2028

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 3 148 411,00

EU contribution

€ 3 148 411,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ROOMors (At the ‘roots’ of motor intentions)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2026-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Imagine reaching for an apple: you may want to eat it or offer it to someone else. The action is similar, yet the movement subtly changes depending on your intention. In this sense, intentions become visible in motion.
While this is well established in humans and animals, it remains unexplored in plants.
ROOMors addresses this gap by asking a fundamental question: can plants express intention through their movements? Recent evidence shows that plant movements are not purely reactive. For instance, pea plants adjust the shape of their tendrils depending on the support they approach, suggesting a form of anticipation.
ROOMors aims to determine whether plants can plan their movements and whether their behavior is influenced by the actions of nearby plants.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

At the midpoint of the project, ROOMors is already delivering compelling results by integrating approaches from experimental psychology and plant biology.
The project shows that plants:
• modulate their movements depending on context (e.g. growing alone, competing, or cooperating)
• respond selectively to chemical cues from related versus unrelated plants
• may anticipate and adjust to the behavior of neighboring plants
Together, these findings point to a level of behavioral flexibility and interaction in plants that goes beyond traditional views.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

ROOMors advances a novel perspective of plants as active, sensing, and adaptive organisms, capable of responding to their environment in sophisticated ways.
This research has broad implications:
• improving our understanding of plant responses to environmental change and stress
• uncovering fundamental similarities between plant and animal life
• inspiring new approaches in artificial intelligence and robotics based on plant-like strategies
More broadly, ROOMors encourages a shift in how we view the plant kingdom—not as a passive background to life on Earth, but as a dynamic and integral part of a deeply interconnected living system.