Plant Telecommunications

It is quite fascinating that plants have a sense of how to speak to one another, especially through fungi networks in the soil referred to as the mycorrhizal network which links plants’ roots and a pathway for the movement of hydraulic, nutrients, as well as chemical signals. It has been also reported that plants are in a position to send messages through this underground network, share nutrients with those which are in short supply, alert other plants about insect invasions, and even affect plant growth. Others have referred to this as the ‘molecular internet’ or ‘World Wide Web’ where plants can communicate and share nutrients and information in a highly sophisticated manner to coordinate their actions for the benefit of all the plant species. It enables the plants to monitor their neighbors’ health status and act in advance before the event happens to a plant. In other words, every specimen of the plant employs the network of fungi buried as deep as possible into the ground as its additional organs of perception. Researchers already know that plants use chemical signals to communicate with each other and even with animals; however, people know only a little about these messages and interactions taking place under the ground. It would be exciting to see how these vast fungal networks are structured and what this means for the future of agriculture, the preservation of natural ecosystems, and the potential of plants to think. The ability to control and efficiently use this natural communication system could help us cultivate higher-yielding crops and faster response from entire communities to climate change.