Have you ever heard something shocking?
Startling?
A revelation?
But then you pause a moment to think. And suddenly it makes perfect sense. In a flash of insight you realize, “Of course! How could it be any other way?”
Trees Talk
I was dubious when NatureOutside reader Susan, an accomplished naturalist in her own right, sent me this video (below). It’s a TED Talk by Professor Suzanne W Simard of the University of British Columbia. She explains her findings that trees exchange both molecules and information. Trees in a stand help each other and talk to each other!
I was prepared for a fluff piece, but her conclusions are backed by hard evidence. Bushcraft instructor Ray Mears has compared forests to living organisms. Now there appears to be a scientific basis for describing a forest as a “higher intelligence.”
The Arboreal Internet
Sound weird? It is until you realize that you’re already familiar with the “Arboreal Internet.”
If you’re interested in mushrooms, you can probably guess what’s going on. When you harvest a mushroom, you’re not killing an organism. You’re removing the fruiting body of a fungus (mycelium). It’s analogous to picking an apple from a tree. But where exactly is the mycelium? Its body is underground – microscopic fibers that spread and interact with others of its kind. It’s a network that can spread for miles. In fact, scientists think the largest living organism on our planet is a honey fungus measuring 2.4 miles in Oregon.
Many of these fungi are mycorrhizal – they live in symbiosis with the roots of trees. They provide nutrients from the soil to tree roots in exchange for carbohydrates from the plant. When fungi colonize a root system they increase the water and nutrient absorption capabilities of the tree. It’s thought that most forests would not exist as we know them today without the invisible network of mycelia in the soil.
So it makes sense that mycelia can form a network that connects the roots of a stand of trees. And when this happens… trees talk!
Watch for Yourself
The video begins with a humorous story about how a dog and an outhouse led to this startling discovery. Take a look at the video and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.
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