Did you know? Trees “Talk” to One Another
Trees share nutrients, water, and defense signals through an underground network of fungi called mycorrhizal networks. The mycelium in these networks form intricate threads that intertwine with tree roots. German forester Peter Wohlleben calls this network the "woodwide web". Taken together, myecelium composes what's called a “mycorrhizal network,” which connects individual plants together to transfer water, nitrogen, carbon and other minerals.
Ecologist Suzanne Simard discovered that trees communicate with each other through the mycorrhizal networks while researching her doctoral thesis. Trees are linked to neighboring trees by an underground network of fungi that resembles the neural networks in the brain, she explains.
In one study, Simard observed a Douglas fir that had been injured by insects sending chemical warning signals to a nearby ponderosa pine. The pine tree then produced defense enzymes to protect itself against the insects.
"This was a breakthrough," Simard says. The trees were sharing "information that actually is important to the health of the whole forest."
In addition to warning each other of danger, Simard says that trees have been known to share nutrients at critical times to keep each other healthy. She says the trees in a forest are often linked to each other via an older tree she calls a "mother" or "hub" tree.
WHY DO WE CARE?
My perspective: Nature, in all its wonder and intricacy, is proof of our “prime directive” which is life. Everything is so interwoven and must work together in the most delicate yet complex of systems. Much like we humans… we need one another in such profound ways. I think of the trees nurturing one another and how we as people are called to care for and nurture one another. BECAUSE IT KEEPS US ALIVE. And it keeps us sane. The bees pollinate our plants and give us sustenance with honey and are absolutely critical to our viabiity. Those tiny insects mean survival to us. How did this come to happen? How did we come to be so dependent on bees? Aren’t these provocative questions? Trees call to us empathetically. We somehow feel a kinship with them. That is by design. Tree huggers have it right!
Sources
Also Peter Wohlleben has written several books including “The Hidden Life of Trees” with more information on the subject of trees and their communication. Check them out wherever you buy books.
