Meet the polygamists of the Bible
Through their senses, plants can actually learn and have the capacity to remember. It’s believed they do so through associative learning (e.g. by associating the presence of wind with the existence of light), but the exact mechanism remains unknown.
Plants can also remember. A study found that a plant that reacted by moving its leaves when touched, stopped doing so after learning the threat was not real.
Flowers can also 'hear' the sound of bees, and react by producing more nectar, making them more appealing for the insects and ensuring pollination occurs.
While plants do not have eyes as such, they are sensitive to light. In fact, they do have eye-like organs called ocelli, that act like lenses to detect light. In addition, there is also the possibility that ocelli are able to sense both colors and shapes.
This behavior, most commonly associated with animals, is also present in plants. As a result, related plants get more resources shared through the roots, more light, and consequently produce more fruit and seeds.
As plants and trees emit frequencies, they can also detect vibrations through the air. Particularly, they seem to detect sounds that are relevant to their survival, such as water or the sound of insects.
Plants don’t have the same pain mechanisms as animals, so they do not feel pain as we do. They do, however, react to injuries, and do produce pain-suppressing substances, which makes us wonder why they need them. Plus, it has been found that, like animals, plants also respond to anesthesia.
So, are plants conscious? Well, to begin with, we need to have a universally clear definition of what consciousness is (which we don’t). What we know is that plants seem to be aware of their surroundings and can indeed communicate.
Trees emit sound frequencies. These are all ultra-low-frequency infrasound or high-frequency ultrasound, so humans can’t hear them. Other plants and animals, however, might.
Speaking of insects, when plants are under attack, they release volatile molecules that make up particular scents.
Maple trees, for instance, use scents to warn others of danger, according to a study. Scents are used to send alarm signs to their neighbors, ranging from alerts about insect attacks to fruit ripening, and everything in between.
And as for the distinctive smell of a freshly-cut lawn, yes, it’s essentially the grass crying for help while being under attack.
One of these molecules is jasmone, which is emitted by jasmine flowers to alert nearby plants of aphids. So, next time you drink a cup of jasmine tea, it’s best to do so away from plants, if you don’t want to scare them!
These plant-fungus networks are used for more than just sharing resources. They are also used to communicate with each other.
Molecules such as jasmone also alert predatory insects about the presence of plant attackers, so they can rush and actually help the distressed plants.
But it gets even more interesting: "mother trees" seem to recognize their family, and, as a result, share more nutrients with relatives when compared to strangers.
An injured tree sends out chemical alert signals so that other trees may brace for danger. Dying trees go as far as sharing all of their resources through the network. It turns out the forest cooperates and has more in common with us than we originally thought.
Communication between trees and plants is not just done underground. Plants actually have a sense of smell and react to certain odors.
The largest and oldest trees use this network to nurture younger trees, sharing the resources they need to grow.
This phenomenon has been puzzling scientists for years, with a consensus for the reason not yet being reached.
Interestingly, not all trees behave like this. This is more common among trees of the same species as well as the same age. Still, it shows that there is some sort of recognition of both the environment and their neighbors.
One of the possible reasons is that trees do this as part of a defense mechanism to help prevent the spread of diseases, as well as to share sunlight.
Trees are quite polite to one another. A phenomenon known as crown shyness happens in certain trees. This is when crowns don’t touch each other. They don’t overlap each other's branches, and they allow sunlight to reach the soil.
Trees that avoid touching share sunlight with their peers, but they also share other resources through their roots.
A study has also found that plants are able to “distinguish self from nonself.” Does this make them conscious? No one can say, for sure. In conclusion, more research is needed.
Sources: (The New Yorker) (Forbes) (Journal of Plant Physiology) (National Geographic) (Grunge) (Plant Signaling & Behavior) (National Forest Foundation) (The New York Times) (Smithsonian Magazine) (Science) (Slate) (The Washington Post) (Scientific American) (Discover Magazine) (Futurism) (New Scientist) (Protoplasma)
Plants and fungi communicate using these networks, which includes the sharing of resources such as carbon and nitrogen.
The possibility of plants feeling and/or thinking has baffled scientists for a long time. Plant neurobiology is the field of research dedicated to the study of how plants process information from their environment.
These underground networks are made of strands of fungus that grow between the roots. They essentially connect the whole forest.
Plant gnosophysiology, or plant cognition, studies things such as memory and learning (even though plants don't have a brain).
Science has come a long way, but we still haven't cracked all the mysteries nature holds. One of these mysteries is how plants and trees work on a sensory level, as well as how they behave, both individually and as a group. Many of us talk to plants, and indeed we're told that they must be given love to grow healthy. After all, plants and trees are living beings. But do they feel pain, do they communicate with each other, and are they somehow conscious?
Click through the following gallery to find out.
Do plants and trees have consciousness?
Can they feel pain?
LIFESTYLE Science
Science has come a long way, but we still haven't cracked all the mysteries nature holds. One of these mysteries is how plants and trees work on a sensory level, as well as how they behave, both individually and as a group. Many of us talk to plants, and indeed we're told that they must be given love to grow healthy. After all, plants and trees are living beings. But do they feel pain, do they communicate with each other, and are they somehow conscious?
Click through the following gallery to find out.