Plant Communication with Ryan Mooney

Join us on Saturday, September 30, 2017, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., for an interesting look at how and why plants are communicating with each other. This session will include a presentation, discussion, and a field exercise during which specimens are collected and then reviewed under a microscope.

The debate is no longer whether plants can sense one another’s biochemical messages — they can — but about why and how they do it. Most studies have taken place under controlled lab conditions, so one of the major open questions is to what extent plants use these signals in the wild. The answer could have big implications: farmers might be able to adapt this chatter, tweaking food plants or agricultural practices, so that crops defend themselves better against herbivores. More broadly, the possibility that plants share information raises intriguing questions about what counts as behavior and communication — and why organisms that compete with one another might also see fit to network their knowledge.

Cost: $12 adults, $7 children, groups of 3 or more $7 each. Pre-registration is strongly

encouraged.

Event Schedule:

9:00 a.m. Doors open to duPont Library

9:30 a.m. Event begins

9:35- 10:15 a.m. Discussion and Q/A

10:15- 11:30 a.m. Field exercise collecting of specimens for analysis in duPont Library.

(Specimens will be collected under the supervision of Mr. Mooney and Mr. Puffenbarger)

11:30- 12:30 p.m. Attendees use hand-held microscopes to see the various plant and fungal structures that are the basis of plant communications.

12:30 – 1:00 p.m. Event concludes with final comments from presenters

To register, or for more information, contact Jon Bachman by email at Jbachman@stratfordhall.org or call 804-493-1972.