Abstract:
Structural and functional asymmetries are traceable in every form of life, and some lateralities are homologous. Functionally speaking, the division of labour between the two halves of the brain is a basic characteristic of the nervous system that arose even before the appearance of vertebrates. The most well-known expression of this specialisation in humans is hand dominance, also known as handedness. Even if hand/limb/paw dominance is far more commonly associated with the presence of a nervous system, it is also observed in its own form in aneural organisms, such as plants. To date, little is known regarding the possible functional significance of this dominance in plants, and many questions remain open (among them, whether it reflects a generalised behavioural asymmetry). Here, we propose a comparative approach to the study of handedness, including plants, by taking advantage of the experimental models and paradigms already used to study laterality in humans and various animal species. By taking this approach, we aim to enrich our knowledge of the concept of handedness across natural kingdoms.
摘要:
结构和功能的不对称在每一种生命形式中都可以追溯到,和一些侧缘是同源的。从功能上讲,大脑两半之间的分工是神经系统的基本特征,甚至在脊椎动物出现之前就出现了。这种专业化在人类中最著名的表达是手支配,也被称为惯用手。即使手/肢/爪优势与神经系统的存在更常见,它也以其自身的形式在非生物体中观察到,比如植物。迄今为止,关于这种优势在植物中可能的功能意义知之甚少,许多问题仍然悬而未决(其中,它是否反映了广义的行为不对称)。这里,我们提出了一种比较方法来研究惯用手法,包括植物,通过利用已经用于研究人类和各种动物物种的侧向性的实验模型和范例。通过这种方法,我们的目标是丰富我们对自然王国中惯用手的概念的了解。