Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
The Mimicry of vine Boquila trifoliolata
3
Boquila trifoliolata mimics leaves of an artificial plastic host plant.
White J. & Yamashita F.
A Critical Analysis
Caitlyn Cornish (M.S) Biotechnology
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences & Biotechnology
Thomas Jefferson University
Introduction
Leaf Mimicry in the Climbing Plant Boquila trifoliolata
Pictures of the twining vine B. trifoliolata co-occurring with woody species in the temperate rainforest of southern Chile, where leaf mimicry in terms of size, color, and/or shape is evident. White arrows point to the vine (V) and to the host tree (T).
Source: Gianoli E. & Yamashita, F., Current Biology (2014)
Potential Hypotheses for Basis of Mimicry
- Volatile signaling
- Horizontal gene transfer
- Plant ocelli
Hypothesis
Gottlieb Haberlandt
(1854-1945)
Materials & Methods
Experimental design. Four Boquila trifoliolata plants lined up side-by-side in front of a window and the artificial model vine plant with plastic leaves (red). Leaves below shelf 1 is the non-mimic (control) leaves. Leaves above shelf 1 is the mimick leaves.
Source: White J. & Yamashita F., Plant Signaling & Behavior (2021)
Results
(Plastic leaf)
Results
Leaf shapes in Boquila trifoliolata. (a) Non-mimic leaf, with three lobes, dense vascular network. (b) Mimic leaf, with a single lobe in the apex, less dense vascular network. Red asterisks shows examples of free-ending veinlets.
Source: White J. & Yamashita F., Plant Signaling & Behavior (2021)
Results (cont'd)
Results
(cont'd)
Morphometric analysis of Boquila trifoliolata leaves. Black bars correspond to non-mimic leaves (control), without contact with plastic leave. Gray bars correspond to mimic leaves, with close contact with plastic leaves. Leaves were classify into young, middle and old regarding their age. Measurements performed in 16 biological repetitions and two-tailed Student’s t-test was used to identify significant differences between mimick and non-mimic leaves. P-values<0.05 were considered significant (***P < .001; **P < .01; *P < .05). The error bars reported in all graphs represent standard deviation.
Source: White J. & Yamashita F., Plant Signaling & Behavior (2021)
Results (cont'd)
Results
(cont'd)
Morphometric analysis of Boquila trifoliolata leaves. Aspect ratio is the ratio of leaf length and width. Circularity describes the difference between a leaf and a circle. Rectangularity describes the similarity between a leaf and a rectangle. Form factor is the ratio between leaf width and length. Measurements performed in 16 biological repetitions and two-tailed Student’s t-test was used to identify significant differences between mimick and non-mimic leaves. P-values<0.05 were considered significant (***P < .001; **P < .01; *P < .05). The error bars reported in all graphs represent standard deviation.
Source: White J. & Yamashita F., Plant Signaling & Behavior (2021)
Discussion & Conclusions
- The leaves of B. trifoliolata growing near the plastic leaves were able to successfully mimic (although not perfectly…) the plastic leaves
- Based on these results, the researchers felt that their hypothesis of plant ocelli was fully supported
- Future directions of research include further investigation into plant ocelli, modeling after an experiment on plants and light perception first proposed in 1909
Critical Analysis
1. No proper controls
2. An undisclosed conflict of interest
3. A lead author with no affiliations to an academic institution/no known formal scientific training
4. Multiple spelling/grammatical errors and an overall poor writing style
Critical Analysis
Sources
- Gianoli, E. & Carrasco-Urra, F. (2014) Leaf Mimicry in a Climbing Plant Protects against Herbivory. Current Biology, Violume 24, Issue 9.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.010
- White, J. & Yamashita, F. (2021) Boquila trifoliolata mimics leaves of an artificial plastic host plant. Plant Signaling & Behavior, Volume 17, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2021.1977530