Which of these is most important to include in a summary of this article?

Question

Studies about unusual plant sounds and movements may help farmers and scientists.
Tomato and tobacco plants become stressed when they are dehydrating.
Plants make strange popping noises in response to different types of stress.
Boat lily leaves have microscopic mouths that open and close in certain conditions.

Mysteries of the Plant World
News: Science Scene

A boat lily leaf with a microscopic green mouth that opens and closes? Tomato and tobacco plants emitting strange pop pop pop sounds?

What is this, you ask, a pair of garden nightmares? On the contrary, they may prove to be a dream come true. The mouth and popping sounds are the findings of two different groundbreaking scientific studies about plants that could one day help feed the planet.

A video of the green mouth was released by a team of biologists from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) in December 2022 as part of a research project. The mouth is actually a minute opening called a stoma, which is Greek for "mouth." Scientists have long known that plants have thousands of stomata per leaf. Thanks to 21st-century technology, one in mouth-opening action is now illustrated with jaw-dropping clarity.

Scientists have also long known that stomata take in carbon dioxide from the air. The plant combines the carbon dioxide with water drawn up from its roots and then uses sunlight to turn the two ingredients into nutrients that help it grow. But there's a catch. When stomata open to let in the carbon dioxide, some water evaporates out of the plant. If too much escapes, the plant will dry up. So, stomata need to stay open just long enough to let in sufficient amounts of carbon dioxide without losing excessive amounts of water.

How do stomata pull off this intricate balancing act? Each stoma has sensors made up of proteins that determine the level of carbon dioxide present in the environment. When there's a small amount, the stoma needs to stay open longer to take in what the plant needs, and a specific protein signals the stoma to do so. The UCSD team found out that when the carbon dioxide level is high, a pair of different proteins blocks that signal, making the stoma close sooner. This mechanism allows the plant to retain as much water as possible.

The UCSD researchers say their discovery has real-life practical application. Knowing how stomata work will allow scientists to breed crops robust enough to survive two byproducts of a planet that's heating up: more frequent droughts and higher levels of carbon dioxide.

The second study, the one with the popping tomato and tobacco plants, was published in March 2023. Researchers placed ultrasound microphones near the plants in different settings. Then they stopped watering some of the plants while cutting the stems off others. The plants experiencing these stresses emitted several pops per hour that sounded like popcorn or bubble wrap being popped. Remarkably, the researchers could distinguish the pops caused by different stresses among different plants.

The sounds should not be interpreted as an expression of anguish. Scientists believe that they're likely caused by air bubbles forming in the tissue that carries water from the roots to the leaves. Although humans are unable to hear sounds at that frequency, insects and animals probably can. As a result, an animal looking for a plant dinner might hear the popping and opt for a juicier plant.

Similarly, using ultrasound devices to pick up these sounds could help farmers determine which crops are most in need of irrigation, knowledge that would be especially useful in a drought. And so, from the secret lives of plants may sprout ways to improve human life in a changing environment.

Answer 1

The most important points to include in a summary of the article are:

1. Studies about plant sounds and movements may assist farmers and scientists in understanding plant stress and improving crop survival.
2. Tomato and tobacco plants emit popping sounds in response to stress, which can help determine when crops need irrigation.
3. Boat lily leaves have microscopic openings called stomata that can open and close based on carbon dioxide levels, crucial for balancing water retention and nutrient intake.
4. Understanding these mechanisms can lead to breeding more resilient crops in the face of climate change-related challenges like drought and increased carbon dioxide levels.

These key points capture the essence of the scientific discoveries discussed in the article and their potential applications.