Researchers from John Innes Centre have found that plants do math calculations to control food supplies overnight to prevent themselves from starving at night.
Researchers were "amazed" to discover that plants use math calculations and perform accurate arithmetic division so that they can control their food supply without having to starve at night. Using these calculations they are able to use their starch reserves constantly throughout the night in such a way that the reserve get depleted just at dawn.
"This is the first concrete example in a fundamental biological process of such a sophisticated arithmetic calculation." said mathematical modeler Professor Martin Howard from the John Innes Centre in a press statement.
The sun's rays during the day help plants to feed themselves by converting carbon dioxide into starch and sugar. At night, they depend on this reserve of sugar and starch to feed themselves till the un comes up the next day. It is a known fact that the sun rises early on some days and late on other days. The starch reserve also varies. With the help of math calculations, plants adjust the usage of starch accordingly.
"The capacity to perform arithmetic calculation is vital for plant growth and productivity," said metabolic biologist Professor Alison Smith in a press release. "Understanding how plants continue to grow in the dark could help unlock new ways to boost crop yield."
A mechanism inside the leaf of a plant measures the starch reserve for the night as well as estimates the time till dawn. The starch reserve is then divided equally into parts for consumption so that by dawn 95 percent of the reserve is depleted.
"The calculations are precise so that plants prevent starvation but also make the most efficient use of their food," said Professor Smith. "If the starch store is used too fast, plants will starve and stop growing during the night. If the store is used too slowly, some of it will be wasted."
