Looking at the two mango trees standing side by side I wondered, can they talk? Some may call me crazy for wondering this, but hear me out. Plants are alive and they grow and multiply. Fruit bearing plants give fruits at the right time each year, flowers know when to bloom, other trees know where to grow so that they can strive. Most plants also live in harmony with each other, a perfect example is the Amazon rainforest. After putting all this information together I had to wonder, how do they talk? Because in the years I have wandered this planet I did not once hear two trees having a heart to heart conversation. Do they have a “Treebook” for messaging or a “Timber” for dating?
Although plants can not move or run away, they have their special way of communicating. These methods of communicating happen right before our eyes and we do not even notice. One of those methods is happening when grass is being cut. Strangely, the sweet smell when cutting grass is a distress call from the plants. This scent attracts insects to get rid of the “pests” munching on their bodies. A perfect example can be seen at the tobacco plant. The hornworm caterpillar loves to munch on the tobacco plants, these plants can identify the saliva of these caterpillars. After identifying the saliva, they emit a chemical that attracts predators of the caterpillars. Within hours the predators arrive and get rid of the caterpillars.
After that smart move by plants, I guess the next one won’t surprise you. Like humans, plants can eavesdrop, and they do it in their special way. This is how they do it. When a plant notices that a nearby plant is giving out a SOS call, they start to ramp up their own defense system. The beautiful part of this, is that it happens between different species. For example when the hornworm caterpillar is munching on a nearby tobacco’s leaves, all the plants surrounding this plant are starting to boost their defense system. The chemical emitted by these plants can also stunt the growth of the caterpillar.
Like some animals that can become invasive in a certain ecosystem, the same say there are plants that do that. As you all know, plants get their nutrients from the soil through their roots. The invasive species releases a chemical that can harm the native species, which helps it to get more nutrients and survive the new environment it is in. When you think the story ends there, you got it wrong. Neighboring species can counteract the invasive species by releasing another chemical that gives their roots a protective shield against the invasive species. These species not only protect their kind, they can also protect multiple other species in the vicinity and eradicate the invader.
This one may make you cry. Plants can recognize their siblings or, if present, their parents. It is now no mystery that plants can communicate with their roots. Multiple experiments done show that plants that grow close by relatives, always have their roots tangled within each other. This gets better, most plants compete with each other for nutrients and sunlight. When family members grow close by they support each other, rather than competing for food and sunlight.
To conclude this blog, I can say that it is magnificent how plants protect and communicate. The plant kingdom works together to get rid of invasive plants, predator insects and other animals. This is something we as humans can learn from them. Unity is what we need, everything that tries to bring separation among us must be eradicated. To answer the question I asked myself: do plants talk? Yes they do, they understand each other better than we may understand our fellow man.
See you soon and remember, there is no such thing as knowing too much.
Missed my previous blog?
Read it here: Nut Or Not?
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