Do trees talk to each other?
Yes, trees talk to each other using the communication links that they have at their root levels.
We know that trees consists of two halves: the upper half consisting of stem, leaves, flowers and fruits and the lower half which is mainly roots to absorb water and nutrients from the soil. We think these are the definite boundaries of a tree or a plant. But we are wrong, there’s an extension to this root system which facilitates the intercommunication between trees.
Trees allows a certain fungi called Mycorrhizae (Mushrooms) to grow around and inside their roots. These fungi bodies are mostly made up of long and massive threads called Mycelium. There’s a symbiotic relationship between the tree/plant roots and the Mycorrhizae fungi which will benefit each other in certain aspects which I’ll explain next. (Symbiosis is a term describing any relationship or interaction between two dissimilar organisms. The specific kind of symbiosis depends on whether either or both organisms benefit from the relationship).
Mycorrhizae👆
Mycelium👆
In any kind of forest, taller trees receive more sunlight using which they produce sugar (glucose) through photosynthesis. Because of the excess sunlight, these taller trees tend to produce more sugar (glucose) than they actually need. On the other side, the fungi needs sugar to survive. So, the trees share this sugar with the fungi through Mycelium network and in return the fungi helps tree absorb more nutrients from the soil. Everyone thought this is the only aspect of the Symbiotic relationship between the tree roots and the Mycorrhizae fungi. But there’s more to this relationship which was discovered few years ago, i.e., the trees use the same Mycelium threads as the communication links to other trees and plants.
In this network, the taller and older trees are mostly considered as “Hub Trees” or “Mother Trees”. Because the mother trees are taller, they receive more sunlight than their seedlings. So, they share the sugar which they produce using photosynthesis with their seedlings which are mostly under the shades of the forest canopy. This gives them a much better chance of survival. Using the same fungal network, the mother trees are recognize their own kin/family. The mother tree colonizes a larger fungal network with its kin and sends them more sugar to protect them. The mother tree also curbs its own root development to make room for its seedlings’ roots. In case the mother tree is injured or dying, it gives up all its resources to its family members. It also sends them “wisdom” in the form of carbon isotopes which are scientifically proven using isotope tracing. This “wisdom” mostly contains information about protecting oneself from insects, infections, etc.
Apart from mother-seedling relationship between the trees and plants, a social network also exists within the forest system. As established earlier, mother tree cares more about its kin. But that care is not limited to its seedlings, it cares for seedlings of other mother trees and sometimes trees of different species too. In case of dangers, the trees send signals to neighboring trees to raise their defenses and protect themselves. Sometimes, trees use the same fungal network to attack other trees. Black walnut is a great example for this. The Black walnut tree sends toxic chemicals to other trees to kill them. That’s why no other trees of different species don’t grow near the black walnut tree. Another example is the orchid plant which steals resources sent by the mother tree to its seedlings.
This is the map of the fungal network between the trees in Canadian forests taken using DNA analysis. The larger nodes represent the mother trees or hub trees and the smaller yellow nodes represent the seedlings. The hub trees will have more number of connections to other trees. If we cut the hub trees, then it’ll destroy this network. With the loss of this network, other small trees fail to grow resulting accelerated natural destruction of forests.
So, to conclude yes, trees and plants talk together and thrive in communities in forests just like us humans do cities, towns, etc.
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