Phosphoinositide Turnover and Its Role in Plant Signal Transduction

Plants often seem to be passive, background scenery of our world. Because they do not flee, attack, or vocalize, we often think of them as unresponsive. In reality, plants actively monitor their environment and respond to it. We often fail to recognize these responses because they are usually subtle: slow movements or developmental or biochemical changes. When a plant does respond rapidly and dramatically—a Venus’s flytrap snares its prey, or a disturbed Mimosa pudica folds its leaves—it is a powerful reminder that plants are not scenery but active players.