At the ‘roots’ of motor intentions

Informations projet

ROOMors

N° de convention de subvention: 101096728

DOI

10.3030/101096728

Date de signature de la CE 11 Mai 2023

Date de début 1 Septembre 2023

Date de fin 31 Août 2028

Financé au titre de

• European Research Council (ERC)

Coût total

€ 3 148 411,00

Contribution de l’UE

€ 3 148 411,00

Coordonné par

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
Italy

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

Période du rapport: 2023-09-01 au 2026-02-28

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

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.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

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.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

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.