Integrated information as a possible basis for plant consciousness: Surgical interventions suggest the shoot, root and cambial meristems are candidates for regions of integrated information

Integrated information as a possible basis for plant consciousness. Paco Calvo, František Baluška, AnthonyTrewavas. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, October 17 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.10.022

Highlights

• Integrated information constitutes a basis for plant awareness.

• A bottom-up biological view looks at the potential origins of consciousness to understand better its biological function.

• Surgical interventions suggest the shoot, root and cambial meristems are candidates for regions of integrated information.

• Plants retain a conscious capability, although the extent and size of the capability remains to be determined.

Abstract: It is commonly assumed that plants do not possess consciousness. Since the criterion for this assumption is usually human consciousness this assumption represents a top down attitude. It is obvious that plants are not animals and using animal criteria of consciousness will lead to its rejection in plants. However using a bottom up evolutionary approach and a leading theory of consciousness, Integrated Information Theory, we report that we find evidence that indicates that plant meristems act in a conscious fashion although probably at the level of minimal consciousness. Since many plants contain multiple meristems these observations highlight a very different evolutionary approach to consciousness in biological organisms.

Keywords: Plant consciousnessAwarenessIntegrated information theory (IIT)MeristemsBioelectrical fieldsSelection