Plant blindness, plant awareness disparity (PAD) or lack of plant awareness is a proposed form of cognitive bias which, in its broadest meaning, is a human tendency to ignore plant species. This includes such phenomena as not noticing plants in the surrounding environment, not recognizing the importance of plant life to the whole biosphere and to human affairs, a philosophical view of plants as an inferior form of life to animals, and the inability to appreciate the unique features or aesthetics of plants. Related terms include plant‐neglect, zoo-centrism, zoo‐chauvinism, or a lack of plant literacy. The term plant blindness was coined by the botanists educators J. H. Wandersee and E. E. Schussler in their 1999 publication 'Preventing Plant Blindness'. Scientists have suggested that the reason some people do not notice plants is because plants are stationary and similarly coloured, although other research has suggested that plant blindness is affected by cultural practices. A 2014 study in the United States looked at how plants and animals are perceived using "attentional blink" (the ability to notice one of two rapidly presented images). The study showed that participants were more accurate in detecting animals in images, rather than plants. The researchers also suggested possible strategies for characterizing and overcoming zoo-centrism. According to the BBC journalist Christine Ro, plant blindness is potentially linked to nature deficit disorder, which she construes is causing what she claims is reduced funding and fewer classes for botany.
Causes Two main avenues through which plant blindness has arisen have been suggested: human nature, and culture.
Human nature The first, human nature, encompasses the idea that human brain chemistry and visual processing systems are inherently biased to ignore plants in the environment. Studies have shown that human visual systems can not effectively process all the information that is seen. Thus, research suggests that priority is given to variable colors, movement, and familiar objects in order to most effectively detect threats and potential food sources. As plants do not often fit this criterion, many scientists think the human brain tends not to fully process their visual presence. For instance, plants tend to be overlooked because, unlike animals which actively hunt or attack, they generally present only passive or defensive threats, such as thorns or toxins. Additionally, primates have been shown to have a preference for organisms that behave similarly to their own species. As plants behave very differently than humans, this also suggests that there is an intrinsic component to plant blindness.
Culture
Culture has also been shown to play an important role in the establishment of plant blindness in a society. Many believe that evidence for this is found in the decreased level of plant blindness in certain communities. For example, in certain Indian and indigenous communities, plants are highly valued for their role in religion, medicine, and mythology. In societies where plant blindness is prevalent, several cultural mechanisms are considered to contribute to the phenomenon. Zoo-centric education is considered to be one main cause. In the United States, high school biology textbooks devote only 15% of their content to plants. In many societies, there is not thought to be a comprehensive understanding among citizens of the complexity behind plants' behaviors, reactions, and movements. The pervasive misunderstanding of evolution as a linear mechanism where humans are most evolved and plants are least evolved, rather than as a complex, non-hierarchical process, may also cultivate plant blindness. Plant blindness is also partially attributed to increased urbanization, which has led to nature-deficit disorder and the decrease in prominence of plants' roles in everyday life. Finally, the concept that animals are more important than plants is reinforced through cultural over-representation of animals, such as in mascots.
Potential effects Several concerns exist regarding the potential effects of plant blindness. Most notably, plant blindness may lead to less funding being available for plant conservation efforts. Plants make up 57% of the endangered species list, while only 3.9% of funding for endangered species is allotted to them. Laws do not protect endangered plants as well as endangered animals. Endangered plants on Federal land are protected, but landowners can destroy them on their private property. Many states have no state level laws to protect endangered plants. Plant blindness is also thought to have led to a deficit in plant science research and education. Plant science research has been defunded, interest in botany majors has decreased, and plant biology courses have been terminated in recent years. Yet, this plant research is believed to be critical for medicinal and agricultural advancement.
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