Biological efficiency in processing information in green plants

The detection and processing of environmental information is a fundamental attribute of all living systems. This article approaches the question of how efficiently plants process that information, considering it likely that differential efficiency among different species may help explain differential survival. The primary routes of information transfer, that is, signal transduction, are relatively well understood. It is pointed out, based on current understanding, that erasure of such information may be of equal importance to its acquisition. This in turn could provide a simple means of quantifying the acquisition of information by a plant and the efficiency in doing so. However, wild plants live in an environment that is noisy. A useful analogy to deal with such situations can be found in quantum theory of open systems, wherein processes are both well-characterized and well understood, unlike those in plants. This paper develops this theme from quantum information processing and provides a mean of transferring such quantum characterization to biological dynamical situations. The article concludes with discussion on communication theory, indicating that there is a dearth of experimental results that can currently be used to investigate information processing but suggesting how progress can be made in this important programme.

Automated summary

This article discusses the efficient processing of environmental information by plants and suggests that differential efficiency may explain differences in survival among species. The primary routes of information transfer are well understood, but the importance of information erasure is not fully recognized. Plants live in a noisy environment, and quantum theory of open systems can provide a useful analogy. The article develops this theme from quantum information processing and proposes a method to transfer quantum characteristics to biological dynamics.