Scientists have had an elite knowledge with them for the past several decades that has recently come to the forefront. They had known the fact that trees are able to establish communication with other trees. This is mainly done with the help of the network that exists under the ground and comprises fungi.
This underground web also allows the trees to give and take their nutrients with one another. This has emerged as an extraordinary discovery in recent times. Suzanne Simard was the first-ever ecologist who had made this astonishing discovery. Simard had been doing her research that was a part of her doctoral thesis for the past 20 years on this amazing phenomenon.
As soon as Simard made these shocking findings, she had been inspired and motivated to continue this research in the field of tree communication. She had an urge to learn more details regarding the ways in which trees survive, interact, and evolve.
As a result, in her doctoral research, Simard made use of radioactive carbon. This was done in order to measure all the flow as well as trading of the nutrients that took place between species and the individual trees.
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Extraordinary Tree Communication Research
Suzanne Simard also found out that the trees even help one another. She discovered this by observing the interactions between Birch & Douglas trees that are mainly Fir. Simard also closely watched over the Birch trees that usually receive additional carbon from the Douglas Fir ones. This happens after Birch trees had lost most of their leaves. This results in the carbon provisions from the Birch trees to Douglas Fir which typically remain in shade.
Moreover, Simard also made more startling discoveries that include the socially complex relationship that exists between the several kinds of plant life of Earth. One of the best examples of this includes the ‘mother tree’ or ‘hub tree’. This tree is usually the tallest in the forest which normally acts as the central hub of the entire underground fungi network.
As the name explains, the mother tree always helps the other trees around to grow by providing them with needed nutrients. As a result, older trees also supply all the required nutrients to the younger trees in the forest for them to grow faster and better.
In a few cases, the trees which are ill and unhealthy receive extra nutrients from the neighboring trees. On the other hand, if a tree is dying, then they quickly transfer all the nutrients among neighboring trees so they are not wasted.
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Tree Of Life
Such trading and interaction among the trees make it possible for the trees to live in harsh conditions. Often when the trees are faced with challenging conditions, such communications keep them alive and motivate them to overcome them. Furthermore, the older trees also nurture the offspring when the conditions seem vulnerable.
During rare occasions, the network of fungi that helps the trees to interact may be hijacked by the selfish trees. When these selfish trees use this network to nourish themselves rather than sharing equitably, this creates a problem. However, such activities rarely take place and happen only among selected species of plants.
In general, researchers have also seen that trees can be very generous and altruistic in relation to their nutrients. This amazing system of communication explains the reason for resilience among plant life throughout the centuries all over the world. The trees across the planet are not really inanimate things of the environment. Rather they are living creatures and an essential part of the ecosystem that comprises many complex internal relationships.
Image Featured Alberton Record
