By Sargam Sundrani
As much as we may appreciate Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest, we cannot deny that having a loving and giving community is crucial to survival. According to Peter Wohlleben, the author of ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’, trees, just like us, need one another to live a long and healthy life in a sometimes not-so-kind world.
In recent years, there has been increasing scientific evidence to support that trees in a forest live as a community, communicate extensively, share resources, warn each other of danger, aid sick and weak members and are highly interdependent.
Wohlleben came across this phenomenon when he observed an ancient tree stump that had not undergone complete decomposition in over 400-500 years. He wondered why this stump was still preserved, had green layers and was tightly attached to the ground. He concluded that the neighbouring Beech trees had been helping it stay alive from root networks and transfer of nutrients.
Mycorrhizal networks are fungi networks under the ground flowing between root tips that help trees share resources and send electrical signals. Interestingly, these networks can act like the modern-day “social security systems”, helping trees redistribute resources to equalize intake in a forest! Besides fungal and root networks, trees also communicate through scents and pheromones.
For instance, when a Giraffe starts munching on the leaves of a tree, it will communicate with neighbouring trees through distress signals, so they can start releasing toxic chemicals in their leaves to drive the Giraffe away before their leaves are attacked. Even when a tree is cut, signals communicating wounding are transmitted to neighbouring trees.
Intricate connections and communications take place among trees, helping them make collective decisions about processes such as seed dispersal, reproduction, dealing with extreme weather conditions, caring for the weak, synchronising resource consumption during photosynthesis, etc.
Much like us, naturally, growing trees share friendships, familial bonds, partnerships, and even special connections with certain individuals. This outlook is revolutionary because it helps us look at trees and forests beyond their assumed “replaceability”, in a world where we let monocultures and plantations replace ancient forests.
Due to this interdependence, when forest land is cleared, there is more at stake than we think. Many centuries-old native tree networks are broken as a result of the felling of even a few trees. It leaves the leftover trees vulnerable to many threats and weakens the age-old mycorrhizal networks that have played a huge part in creating and nourishing the forest ecosystem. This information can help us both understand the importance of tree communities and develop more holistic and ecologically informed ways of taking from nature.
Further Reading:
Grant, R. (2018, February 21). Do Trees Talk to Each Other? Smithsonian Magazine; Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-whispering-trees-180968084/#:~:text=Scientists%20call%20these%20mycorrhizal%20networks,or%20perhaps%20an%20economic%20exchange.
Wohlleben, P. (2017). The hidden life of trees: What they feel, how they communicate. William Collins
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