LINV International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology is part of the University of Florence where research in plant neurobiology covers electrophysiology and cell/molecular biology. Plant Neurobiology is nascent field where all the plant sciences meet together to study the diverse aspects of signalling and communication at all levels of plant organization.
Interest in plant movements, sensitivity and possible intelligence has been documented since the late 1800s. Plant Neurobiology bases its understanding on biochemical discoveries, science of plant sensory biology and physiological mechanism and has gained momentum with recent biochemical discoveries, genomic approaches and applications of molecular methods.
Plants are capable of refined recognition of self and non-self and have as information processing organisms have complex communication attributes with signalling apparatus allowing for interaction with its environment and other communicative systems.
Signalling in plants embodies both chemical and physical communicatory pathways. Chemical signalling is based on cell-to-cell communication via cell-to-cell channels known as plasemodesmata. The physical communication is based on electrical, hydraulic and mechanical signals.