XVI International Botanical Congess

Plants must perceive and respond dynamically to multiple concurrent stimuli. Overlap in perceptual mechanisms and crosstalk among signalling cascades can shape eventual plant responses and their ecological consequences. I provide some examples of overlap and crosstalk, as well as examples of stimulus-response specificity, and examine the ecological consquences of each. I discuss factors influencing the evolution of general vs. specific response systems, including multifunction responses and biochemical parallels (or convergences) between plants and the organisms with which they interact.