Human-plant Interaction Research Articles

Can Plants Perceive Human Gestures? Using AI to Track Eurythmic Human-Plant Interaction.

This paper explores if plants are capable of responding to human movement by changes in their electrical signals. Toward that goal, we conducted a series of experiments, where humans over a period of 6 months were performing different types of eurythmic gestures in the proximity of garden plants, namely salad, basil, and tomatoes. To measure plant perception, we used the plant SpikerBox, which is a device that measures changes in the voltage differentials of plants between roots and leaves. Using machine learning, we found that the voltage differentials over time of the plant predict if (a) eurythmy has been performed, and (b) which kind of eurythmy gestures has been performed. We also find that the signals are different based on the species of the plant. In other words, the perception of a salad, tomato, or basil might differ just as perception of different species of animals differ. This opens new ways of studying plant ecosystems while also paving the way to use plants as biosensors for analyzing human movement.

Plantiness, Multispecies Conviviality and Changing Human-Plant Geographies

The essay examines changing human-plant geographies in Kodagu, situated in the Western Ghats in southern India. Paying attention to Kodagu helps investigate how plantiness impacts resource politics in indigenous landscapes across pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial timeframes. This essay will study Sarita Mandanna’s Tiger Hills (2010) and Kavery Nambisan’s The Scent of Pepper (2010) from a bioregional perspective to understand the importance of native plants, forests, vegetal and feral spaces across Kodagu’s shifting societies and timeframes and examine how human-plant encounters redefine the role of plants in Kodagu’s more-than-human geographies. With a particular focus on the Kodava ritual of Kailpodh, this essay will investigate how humans often classify plants as native, invasive, weeds, sacred and unwanted, depending on their impact on human social life, and how ritualising plants such as rajakirita (Gloriosa superba) helps to reinhabit Kodagu and deepens the Kodava human-plant interaction across space and time.

Plant-human entanglements in buildings: designing for care infrastructuring with office occupants and pot plants

The current outsourcing of maintenance and the use of technological devices to automatically care for plants in buildings change the spatial experience between human office occupants and plants. This caretaker system distances people from plants, inclining us to regard them more as decorative objects. The relationship between humans and plants in a building is often unidirectional, with plants providing humans multiple benefits such as improved health and well-being, and increased worker productivity. In our human-plant interaction study, we developed a layer of care infrastructure within an office building that gives agency to people as a collective to interact with and take care of other non-human beings; that is, plants. In re-imagining mediated human-building interaction, we employed technology as an ambient mediator where people, plants and technology comprised the plant care system in a typical office building. A year-long design intervention was introduced within a typical office floor using artifacts (pots, shelves, and digital system) which we fabricated for the plants. From the results of an 8 week participation experiment together with data from qualitative interviews of 6 study participants, we identified five themes: Technology, Object/Thing, Infrastructuring, Commoning, and Care. Our analysis of these themes informs a care infrastructuring approach where both humans and plants become interdependent office co-inhabitants. By entangling with technology, care, and others, we present an infrastructuring layer to mediate human-building interactions with plants.

Human-plant interaction at the onset of agriculture: the PATH project

Plant domestication represents a major turning point in human history, resulting in the shift from a hunting/gathering/fishing-based economy to food production. Combining the analysis of ground stone tools and dental calculus, the PATH project aims to investigate dynamics of plant consumption, and the knowledge and toolkits involved in their processing.

The more-than-human turn in human-plant interaction design: From utilitarian object to living co-inhabitant

Plants and specifically indoor pot plants have featured as a prominent object in human-computer interaction (HCI) studies for more than two decades. Motivated by recent discourse in posthumanist and entanglement HCI, this paper seeks to contribute to the more-than-human turn in interaction design. It uses a twofold approach. We first engage in theoretically grounded inductive reasoning to postulate that the role and agency of plants in interaction design projects ought to change. This is backed up with a deductive approach based on a critical meta-analysis using a methodical review of human-plant interaction studies. The analysis identified a range of characteristics that we discuss in relation to study motives and outcomes. Our findings suggest that so far, plants-as-objects in interaction design are used as (i) a proxy for nature; (ii) a trigger for human experiences or; (iii) an interface for other actions. Our synthesis combining theory and meta-analysis contributes to ongoing design discourse on the ethical and societal implications of using plants in technologically mediated environments. We offer reflective remarks on how HCI can re-conceptualise plants from utilitarian objects towards recognising their value as living co-inhabitants.

PlantConnect

Abstract This paper describes PlantConnect, a real-time interactive system that explores human-plant interaction via the human act of breathing, the bioelectrical and photosynthetic activity of plants, and computational intelligence to bring the two together. Part of larger investigations into alternative models for the creation of shared experiences and understanding with the natural world, the work is presented as a concrete implementation of a possible model based upon reciprocal interplay and information flows between human and nonhuman worlds.

Seeing the tundra for the plants, on the eco-spiritual wholeness of arctic vegetation

Drawing on ethnographic field research in Chukotka, Russia, this article explores ideas and practices connected with the Arctic tundra vegetation that speak to its place in Chukchi spirituality and cultural milieu. The ethnographic focus is on a Chukchi remembrance ceremony with other social contexts of human–plant interaction offered as comparative examples. Contributing novel insight for the considerations of sentient landscapes and ceremonial engagements with plants, the article turns to the Chukchi eco-spiritual relationships in the beyond-the-human world. It suggests that the vegetation cover is not merely an assemblage of fungi and plants, but an organismal membrane through which the tundra communicates and acts, while also facilitating integrations between the human and beyond-the-human worlds.

Investigating Plant Micro-Remains Embedded in Dental Calculus of the Phoenician Inhabitants of Motya (Sicily, Italy).

Plant records reveal remarkable evidence about past environments and human cultures. Exploiting dental calculus analysis and using a combined approach of microscopy and gas chromatography mass spectrometry, our research outlines dietary ecology and phytomedicinal practices of the ancient community of Motya (Sicily, eight to sixth century BC), one of the most important Phoenician settlements in the Mediterranean basin. Micro-remains suggest use or consumption of Triticeae cereals, and animal-derived sources (e.g., milk and aquatic birds). Markers of grape (or wine), herbs, and rhizomes, endemic of Mediterranean latitudes and the East, provide insight into the subsistence of this colony, in terms of foodstuffs and phytotherapeutic products. The application of resins and wood of Gymnosperms for social and cultural purposes is hypothesized through the identification of Pinaceae secondary metabolites and pollen grains. The information hidden in dental calculus discloses the strong human-plant interaction in Motya’s Phoenician community, in terms of cultural traditions and land use.

Consumer Horticulture Advancement: Identifying Critical Research Areas and Cultivating Collaborations

Many fields of research converge to assess the impact of plants on human health, well-being, and nutrition. However, even with a recent history of horticulturists contributing to human–plant interaction work, much of the current research is conducted outside the context of horticulture and specifically outside of consumer horticulture (CH). To connect CH to research being conducted by other disciplines that explore the role of plants in improving human quality of life, a workshop was held on 1 Aug. 2018 in Washington, DC, at the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) annual conference. The workshop focused on current food science, nutrition, and crop-breeding efforts to enhance nutrition and flavor, and human health and well-being research related to nature and plant interactions in an increasingly urban population. Following these presentations regarding potential research linkages and collaboration opportunities, a facilitated discussion identified ways to improve future CH research and foster collaborative work. Action items identified included connecting research and vocabulary to help cultivate an interest in plants in younger generations; supporting awareness of collaborative opportunities with health, nutrition, urban planning, and public health practitioners; ensuring CH is known to administrators; and taking responsibility for initiating communication with colleagues in these areas.

Japan: The Earliest Evidence of Complex Technology for Creating Durable Coloured Goods

Abstract The invention of lacquer technology is significant in history as the first evidence of the use of an organic substance in creating durable coloured objects. By focusing on the evidence from the Jomon Period, Japan, this article clarifies the nature of complex technology and knowledge required for lacquer production, presents how lacquer technology enhanced our creative ability, and discusses its significance in human history. Lacquer technology was invented in the course of increasing human-plant interaction in the warming climate of the early Holocene. Personal ornaments coated with red lacquer are the most conspicuous throughout the Jomon Period from the beginning of lacquer technology. Strong attention to colour and intensive application on personal ornaments indicate that the creation of symbolic artefacts in social context was at the core of Jomon lacquer technology.

“Being attentive”: exploring other-than-human agency in medicinal plants through everyday Rastafari plant practices

The focus is on everyday practices and relations between local medicinal plants, Rastafari bossiesdokters [bush doctors] and kruiemanne [herbalists] of the Matzikama Local Municipality, which lies in the far north-west of the Western Cape Province. Inspired by the work of Bruno Latour, plants are approached as “actants” in an assemblage. Emphasising relational philosophies concerning human-plant interaction and drawing on the concept of gees [spirit], the paper illustrates some ways in which medicinal plants from the mountains appear to act with intentionality. I provide tentative suggestions to re-conceptualise and re-think engagement between plants and humans.

Human–Plant Interaction and Spiritual Healing among the Miskitu

Human–Plant Interaction and Spiritual Healing among the Miskitu

The cultural antiquity of rainforests: Human–plant associations during the mid-late Holocene in the interior highlands of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Rainforests are often described as the world's last virgin landscapes; however hunter–gatherers may have been modifying these environments for over 50,000 years. Despite this, the antiquity of early tropical forest exploitation by hunter–gathers and the transition to farming are still poorly understood. Today globalization drives deforestation of rainforests at an unprecedented rate. The forest, the lives of its present-day inhabitants, and the archaeological evidence for their history are unlikely to survive for much longer in their present form. The ‘Cultured Rainforest Project’, an interdisciplinary project involving anthropologists, archaeologists and palaeoecologists, was set up in 2007 to investigate the long-term and present-day interactions between people and the rainforest in the Kelabit Highlands of central Borneo, so as to better understand past and present agricultural and hunter–gatherer lifestyles and landscapes. This paper examines the environmental evidence used to investigate initial signs of plant exploitation and the transition to agriculture, as well as to understand the wider significance of past plants in a changing cultural landscape. Results have shown that two pronounced cultural waves of human–plant interactions took place in the Kelabit Highlands during the late Holocene; although tentative marks may be present on the landscape ca.7000–6000 years ago. The first pronounced wave of human–plant interaction begins from at least 3000 cal BP. It seems to correspond with the appearance of stone mounds and open-air sites recorded in the archaeological record. The sago palm Eugeissona plays an important role during this period. A second wave of cultural activity, particularly in the last 450 years, is recorded in the southern Kelabit Highlands and is marked by rice becoming important. This may be linked to the construction of a wide range of different megaliths and earthworks, due to its inferred association with wealth and status in prehistoric and historic periods. It is perhaps also linked to a rise in trade between the coastal regions and highlands.

Ethnobotanical profiling and floristic diversity of Bana Valley, Kotli (Azad Jammu and Kashmir), Pakistan

To document the medicinal and other folk uses of native plants of the Bana Valley of district of Kotli-Azad Jammu Kashmir with a view to preserve the ethnobotanical knowledge of this area and to develop an ethnobotanical inventory of the species diversity. The fieldwork was conducted during a period of one year. Data were collected through semi-structured questionnaire and interview of the informants including indigenous people, tribal people, and traditional health practitioners residing in the study area. The present study documented etnobotanical uses of 86 plant species belonging to 81 genera and 47 families. This study revealed that most of the species were used medicinally (74 spp; 42.29%). Leaves found to be the most frequently used part (56 spp., 36.13%) for preparation of indigenous recipes and fodder purpose. The current research provides a huge lump of ethnobotanical knowledge and depicts strong human-plant interaction. It is an urgent need to document indigenous uses of plants for future domestication.

Ethnobotanical inventory and folk uses of indigenous plants from Pir Nasoora National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

ABSTRACT Objective To document the medicinal and other folk uses of native plants of the area with a view to preserve the ethnobotanical knowledge associated with this area. Methods The fieldwork was conducted during a period of one year. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and interviews with indigenous tribal people and traditional health practitioners residing in the study area. Results The present study documented ethnobotanical uses of 104 plant species belonged to 93 genera and 51 families. Results revealed that most of the documented species were used medicinally (78 spp., 44.07%). Leaves were found to be the most frequently used part (69 spp., 42.86%) for the preparation of indigenous recipes and for fodder. Conclusions The current research contributes significantly to the ethnobotanical knowledge, and depicts a strong human-plant interaction. There is an urgent need to further document indigenous uses of plants for future domestication.

Early and Middle Holocene evidence for plant use and cultivation in the Middle Cauca River Basin, Cordillera Central (Colombia)

This paper presents the latest results of research done in the Colombian Andean region known as Middle Cauca River Basin, an important location for the study of the origins of plant use and the dispersal of domesticates throughout the Americas due to its geographical position in northwest South America. We discuss human–environment interactions during Pleistocene/Holocene transition to middle Holocene (ca 10,000–4000 BP), specifically human–plant interaction and environmental factors that led to the adoption of horticultural practices. Three lines of evidence are analyzed: archaeological stratigraphy, lithic technology, and microbotanical remains. Our results suggest that early Holocene environmental stability allowed Middle Cauca settlers to use the diverse local resources for several millennia, altering the local vegetation, and leading to the development of horticultural practices that included the use of both local and foreign plants. These results inform the ongoing debate about the antiquity and nature of plant domestication and dispersals in the Americas.

English

The aim of this study was to document the local uses of important plant species of Nikyal valley particularly medicinal, fodder, fuel, timber, fruit, vegetable, tanning, dying and furniture uses. A total of 111 species belonging form 51 families were found to have a variety of uses by the local people for the accomplishment of their basic needs. These species includes 9 tree 20 shrubs and 82 herbs. The major bulk of 52 plant species (35%) were used as fodder/forage. Fifty species (34%) has medicinal uses, 15 species (10%) were used as a fuel wood and 5 (3%) for timber. Eight species (5%) were used as vegetable or edible fruit, three species (2%) each were used for preparation of furniture and tanning or dying, only 2 species (1.5%) were used for resin and three species (1.5%) were used for the preparation of furniture. Pinus roxburghii, Punica granatum, Qurecus dlatata, Olea ferruginea, etc. have multiple uses such as fodder, timber wood, fuel wood and medicine. These plants are used in individual form or in combination with other species or other edible items. The study revealed that most of the plants are used for medicinal and fodder purposes. The major utility of this ecosystem is for pasture; therefore efforts should be directed to improve the area as a rangeland. Key words: Nikyal hills, ethnobotany, human plant interaction, conservation.

Beyond the Ecofact: Toward a Social Paleoethnobotany in Mesoamerica

This essay examines the relationship between social archaeology and paleoethnobotany in Mesoamerica, a region where paleoethnobotanical research has been growing rapidly. We synthesize Mesoamerican paleoethnobotanical studies that have gone beyond descriptions of subsistence economies, reconstructions of ecological systems, or static lists of identified plant remains. These paleoethnobotanical investigations, we argue, transcend the ecofact to shed light on how human–plant interaction was connected to power, agency, societal structures, and normative constraints—fundamental foci of research in social archaeology. Pulling on current trends in Mesoamerican paleoethnobotany, we show how these social archaeological topics have been addressed via studies of political ecology and ritual. Future advances in social paleoethnobotany are contingent upon methodological innovations in data sampling, quantification, analysis, and integration. We end with a consideration of additional pathways toward a social paleoethnobotany, which includes contributions to understanding materiality, past gender relations, environmental knowledge, and the effect of scale on analysis and interpretations.

Small is big: The microfossil perspective on human–plant interaction

The archaeological record contains only scattered and incomplete clues to the scope and complexity of past human behavior, and archaeologists must develop every possible source of useful information. Although much overused of late, the truism that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence holds particular force in archaeology and nowhere more than in the prehistory of human–plant interaction. Until recently, the reconstruction of plant use and domestication has been biased by a necessary dependence on macrobotanical remains preserved in arid environments or through serendipitous carbonization. Microbotanical analyses have proven increasingly valuable in balancing the record. Over the last few decades, phytolith (plant opal silica bodies) and starch grain studies have contributed significantly to the multiproxy reconstruction of past environments, human use of plants, and the pathways of plant domestication (e.g., refs. 1 and 2). This observation is especially true in humid regions, where conditions do not favor the preservation of macrobotanical remains, and in areas where tubers were important sources of plant foods; tubers are soft structures that often are consumed in their entirety, and they tend to leave few macro remains even under optimal preservation conditions. Working in the humid tropics of Central America, Dickau et al. (3) demonstrate in this issue of PNAS the power of archaeological starch grain analysis by using this proxy to elucidate the differential movement and adoption of both seed and root crops in western and central Panama beginning ≈7,800 years ago.