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. 2025 Mar;262(2):277-278.
doi: 10.1007/s00709-024-02007-z. Epub 2024 Nov 15.

Reply to Calvo, Raja, and Segundo-Ortin, "Don't jump the gun quite yet: aiming for the true target in plant neurobiology research"

Sharon E Kingsland  1 , Lincoln Taiz  2
Affiliations

Reply to Calvo, Raja, and Segundo-Ortin, "Don't jump the gun quite yet: aiming for the true target in plant neurobiology research"

Sharon E Kingsland et al. Protoplasma. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

We reply to the response by P Calvo, V Raja, and M Segundo-Ortin to our article titled "Plant 'intelligence' and the misuse of historical sources as evidence." Their response draws on the authority of psychologist Edward C. Tolman in support of their suggestion that the study of plant intelligence requires an interdisciplinary approach, including cognitive science and other disciplines. We argue that there is no justification for using Tolman as an authority in support of the study of plant intelligence. For Tolman, psychology was confined to the study of organisms with brains, and therefore his comment, when taken in context, has no bearing on the subject of plant intelligence. Calvo et al.'s use of this quotation is a further example of the misuse of a historical authority to support their claim that disciplines such as cognitive science can be applied to the study of those plant behaviors that they consider to be "intelligent."

Keywords: EC Tolman; Plant Intelligence; Plant Neurobiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Consent to participate: Both authors contributed equally to this article and both agree to participate. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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References

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    1. Calvo P, Raja V, Segundo-Ortin M (2024) Don’t jump the gun quite yet: aiming for the true target in plant neurobiology research. Protoplasma. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-024-01993-4 - DOI - PubMed
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