The Microbiota

ARTICLE

There are two major differences between humans and the plant world. The first and most basic is that plants are autotrophic, able to produce their own food through photosynthesis, while humans must hunt, gather, or cultivate their food. The second difference is that plants are fixed and must adapt to a specific location, tolerating wind, radiation, heat waves, and frost to grow and proliferate from a single point, whereas humans, being able to move, seek protection when inclement weather begins, finding shelter under roofs, in shelters, or in the shade.

The remaining similarities outweigh differences when we analyze the nutritional, reproductive, hormonal, and biological aspects. From a nutritional standpoint, potassium (K) plays a fundamental role in water movement within both systems, while calcium (Ca) acts as a structural or skeletal enhancer, strengthening cells. Zinc (Zn) is essential for growth in both plants and humans; zinc sulfate heptahydrate drops, similar to that used in plants, are common for children. Silicon (Si) is crucial in both cases for stress tolerance and tissue strengthening. Elements such as iron (Fe) and other micronutrients play a similar role in both plants and humans and often act as cofactors to trigger hormone production.

Both plants and humans are composed primarily of water and respond to the lunar cycle by altering the volume of sap in plants, increasing it in the upper parts as the full moon approaches, and in humans, by increasing the fluid content in the brain during the waxing moon. On dark nights, people sensitive to the lunar cycle feel sleepier and have more difficulty waking up in the morning; plants exhibit a similar effect, decreasing their activity on dark nights and increasing their photosynthetic activity on nights with a full moon.

In humans, it is well known that loud noises can cause stress, while music or the sounds of water, wind, etc., can be relaxing. Currently, in the plant world, there are studies on the effect of vibrations and sounds on plant growth.

In both plants and humans, juvenility plays a fundamental role, with young tissues consistently exhibiting greater stress tolerance and reproductive capacity. Over time, tissues age, entering a downward curve, which affects plants with alternate bearing and results in smaller fruit size.

Genetics plays a fundamental role in both plants and humans. There are many Homo sapiens species, and not all races excel in the same areas; some humans may be exceptionally gifted in certain activities while others are more limited. The same is true for plants, where genetics is crucial when selecting a variety, rootstock, and pollinators for a project.

Finally, the last analogy between plants and humans is the microbiota, common and fundamental to each species. The beneficial microorganisms that inhabit the soil near roots and the human gut perform the same function: nourishing both plants and humans. The gastrointestinal system, with its microbial flora, is now considered the second human brain, playing a fundamental role in the development of immunity and allergies, headaches, stomach problems, and even synthesizing 90% of the body's serotonin.

In plants, the symbiosis between microbiota and roots increases immunity, strengthening plant tissues and enabling them to resist pests, diseases, and climate damage. In addition to facilitating nutrition, the soil microbiota generates secondary metabolites such as natural antibiotics, phytohormones, and peptides that contribute to balanced growth and increased fertility.

The microbiota in both plants and humans can be damaged by drug abuse, alcohol, and poor diet, but the damage can be reversed by regulating the diet and using prebiotic and probiotic products, for both plants and humans.

During gestation, humans have no contact with the microbial world. At birth, the newborn, upon leaving the mother's body and consuming colostrum, experiences its first contact with beneficial microorganisms. This event, as an analogy in plants, would be the inoculation of nurseries with complete microbial consortia, since in the field they are very likely to come into contact with aggressive pathogens such as Fusarium sp. and Phytophthora sp. In both plants and humans, a single symptom is often caused by more than one pathogen, and treatments must be broad-spectrum. In the plant world, the use of complete preventive and curative microbial consortia has shown remarkable results.