Plant communication

Hey there, do you know how plants talk to each other? No? It's pretty exciting, let's learn about it.

So, just like how we use words to communicate, plants also have their own way of communicating with each other. They use chemical signals to pass on important information to their nearby plants.

When something happens to a plant, like being attacked by an insect, it releases chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These VOCs travel through the air to other nearby plants. When the other plants sense these VOCs, they know that something is wrong with their friend and they start to prepare themselves.

This preparation can involve many things, like producing toxins to prevent the insect from eating them, or increasing the amount of chemicals that attract predators of the insect.

But hold on, the communication does not only happen when a plant is in danger. Plants also communicate to warn others of drought or shade, and to tell them to spread their roots or leaves wide to collect more nutrients.

Overall, plants are pretty smart and can communicate with each other to stay healthy and survive just like we do!