Tomato Plant

Cut the top off a tomato plant and watch what happens: within 48 hours, dormant lateral buds activate and start growing. The terminal bud had been suppressing them through apical dominance - chemical signaling that keeps side branches dormant. Remove the dominant signal, and the suppressed buds explode into action. Gardeners exploit this ruthlessly, pinching tomatoes to force bushy growth with more fruit-bearing branches instead of single-vine architecture.

But tomato plants don't just respond to internal signals - they broadcast external ones. When attacked by caterpillars, tomatoes release volatile organic compounds that attract parasitoid wasps, the natural enemies of their attackers. The plants effectively call the enemy of their enemy. The VOCs are chemically distinct based on which herbivore is attacking, enabling specific recruitment signals for specific threats. This is chemical warfare with precision targeting.

The strategic principle applies everywhere: Suppression and recruitment are two sides of the same communication system. Tomatoes demonstrate that effective organizations don't just coordinate internally - they selectively activate external resources against threats. The same plant that suppresses its own branches to optimize growth can recruit distant allies when under attack.