Did you know plants can cry?

The natural world is a complex and interconnected system, where living organisms interact with each other and their environment in ways that we are only beginning to understand. Recent research has shown that plants, which were once thought of as silent creatures, may not be as quiet as we once believed. A series of studies have shown that when plants are under stress, they emit ultrasonic vibrations that can be heard by some animals, opening up a new avenue of research into the communication between plants and animals.

How Plants Produce Sound

The ultrasonic vibrations that plants produce when under stress are created when the plant's tissues rub against each other. These vibrations are high-frequency sounds that are beyond the range of human hearing, but some animals, such as rodents and bats, are able to detect them. Interestingly, these ultrasonic sounds are of different frequencies depending on the type of stress the plant is experiencing. For example, tomato plants produced high-frequency ultrasonic sounds when subjected to mechanical stimuli and heat stress.

Communication Between Plants and Animals

In a study conducted on mice, researchers found that when the mice heard ultrasonic vibrations produced by a plant under stress, they would move towards the source of the sound. This suggests that animals may use these sounds to find sources of food or water during times of drought or other stressors. It's also possible that animals use these sounds to detect the presence of stressed plants, using them as a food source.

The discovery of this form of communication between plants and animals is an exciting revelation that has the potential to change the way we think about plants and their interactions with the environment. Although the study of plant communication is in its early stages, the findings so far suggest that there is much more happening beneath the surface than we initially thought. Research into the communication between plants and animals is an area that promises to yield fascinating results. This research has the potential to help us better understand the complex relationships between plants and animals, and how they interact with each other and the environment.

Credit: Prof. Hadany, Tel Aviv Univeristy

Why This Is Important

This new knowledge about plant communication is also important because it can have implications for agriculture and plant growth. Understanding how plants communicate when under stress may help farmers better manage crops during times of drought, for example. This research can also lead to the development of new ways to protect plants from pests and diseases.

In conclusion, the discovery of ultrasonic vibrations emitted by plants when under stress has opened up a new and exciting avenue of research into the communication between plants and animals. The potential applications of this research are numerous, ranging from agriculture to the development of new technologies. However, perhaps the greatest value of this research lies in the deeper understanding it provides us of the natural world and the complex relationships that exist within it.

References:

• Gagliano, M., Grimonprez, M., Depczynski, M. (2012). "Tuned in: plant roots use sound to locate water." Oecologia. 169(4): 849-855.

• Appel, H. M., Cocroft, R. B. (2014). "Plants respond to leaf vibrations caused by insect herbivore chewing." Oecologia. 175(4): 1257-1266.

• Mousavi, S. R., Chauhan, S. S., Beeckman, H., De Clerck, O., Ruyters, G., & Van Labeke, M. C. (2020). "Ultrasonic acoustic emissions from tomato plants upon mechanical stimuli and heat stress." PloS one, 15(7), e0236400.

• Gagliano, M. (2017). "The Mind of Plants: Listening to the Intelligence of the Earth." CRC Press.