Do trees communicate with each other?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes.

They might seem like the strong, tall and silent type, but trees actually communicate with each other. Many Forest ecologist, studies a type of fungi that forms underground communication networks between trees.

Big old trees — dubbed 'mother trees' — are hubs in this mycorrhizal fungal network, playing a key role in supporting other trees in the forest, especially their offspring.

"We found that the biggest oldest trees had more connections to other trees than smaller trees. It stands to reason because they have more root systems," 

Fungal networks also boost their host plants' immune systems. That's because, when a fungus colonizes the roots of a plant, it triggers the production of defense-related chemicals. These make later immune system responses quicker and more efficient, a phenomenon called "priming".

Every tree in a 30 by 30-meter forest stand was connected to every other tree, with an estimated 250 to 300 trees being connected together in this single forest stand.

The fungal Internet exemplifies one of the great lessons of ecology: seemingly separate organisms are often connected, and may depend on each other. "Ecologists have known for some time that organisms are more interconnected and interdependent."  The wood wide web seems to be a crucial part of how these connections form.

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