One of the most commonly used arguments against non-vegetarianism has for long been that it’s cruel to kill an animal that can feel things. Well, guess what? Science has just proven that the same is in fact true for plants as well!
According to Daily Mail, researchers at the University of Missouri, USA have discovered that plants can actually feel the vibrations of something chewing on them and respond defensively.
It was in this study by Heidi Appel and Rex Cocroft’s that vegetation was recorded as responding to an ecologically relevant stimulus for the first time. Its manner of defending itself against environmental threats was by way of creating chemicals that can repel attacks from organisms that feed on them.
In the case of caterpillars that fed on the Arabidopsis – a small flowering plant related to cabbage and mustard – researchers observed that the plant produced more mustard oil when fed on, which is potentially toxic to caterpillars.
And this defensive response was compounded in strength when the recorded sounds of the organism feeding on them was played to plants before the feeding actually started.
Watch the fascinating Missouri University video here:
So all those who’ve put down meat-eaters all this time, must now accept that plants too feel the pain from being eaten. At the end of it all, we must simply accept that we’re all just parts of a natural food chain. Ain’t no point fighting it. Amirite?
Masthead source: Urban IPM, Feature source: Huffington Post