Society information

Our Mission

The Society of Plant Signaling and Behavior serves the community of scientists interested in sensory plant biology, signaling, and communicative ecology in plants.

It fosters transdisciplinary interactions among plant molecular biologists, cell biologists, plant physiologists and plant ecologists.

The goal of this field is to illuminate the structure of the information network that exists within plants. Plants are dynamic and highly sensitive organisms that actively and competitively forage for limited resources both above and below ground. Plants accurately compute inputs from the environment, use sophisticated cost-benefit analysis, and take action to mitigate diverse environmental insults. Plants are also capable of refined recognition of self and non-self, and are territorial in behavior. This view sees plants as information processing organisms with complex, long-distance communication systems within the plant body and extending into the surrounding ecosystem. Our Society was originally founded in 2005 as the Society for Plant Neurobiology to reflect these views of plant function. In May 2009 the Society voted to expand its view and change its name accordingly.

One goal of establishing a community for Plant Signaling and Behavior is to provide a venue for all interested biologists to explore complex plant behavior utilizing all levels of experimental approach. Among our symposia participants have been molecular geneticists, biochemists, electrophysiologists, physiological ecologists, community ecologists, mathematical modelers, plant designers, and even philosophers. Plant Signaling and Behavior will use the lens of integrated signaling, communication, and behavior to integrate data obtained at the genetic, molecular, biochemical and cellular levels with physiology, development and behavior of individual organisms, plant ecosystems and evolution.