Early Warning Signals

Question 1

Which is a model plant used in science?

Answer 1

Thale cress

Question 2

What did reserachers find in thale cress?

Answer 2

When they applied soft mechanical stress to the plant it was better at responding to stress

Question 3

Why does thale cress get more resistant to fungi when treated with soft mechanical stress?

Answer 3

Mechanical stress lead to subtle changes in the cuticle

This made the cuticle more permeable -> the fungus could enter the plant better and got detected faster

Question 4

Through which openings can a fungi or bacteria enter the plant?

Answer 4

Lenticels, stomata

Question 5

How does a fungi get through the leaf surface?

Answer 5

1. the tissue of the plant gets softened up by enzymes
2. once the leaf surface is more yielding, brute force is used to push the fungus through into the leaf