TALKING PLANTS

Talking plants, talking plants, or plant communication is an interesting phenomenon in the world of botany—where some plants have unique and interesting ways of communicating as a form of survival and self-protection. Although this communication takes place without words or sound, studies show that plants are able to interact with their surrounding environment.

They are as follows;

1. Chemical Communication
This is one of the main ways plants communicate, which is through the chemical compounds they release. When plants are attacked by pests or predators, they can produce certain chemical compounds that function as "warning signals" to neighbouring plants. It is this signal that alerts neighbouring plants of the danger to trigger their defence response.

2. Attracting Natural Predators
Some plants use the first point to attract natural predators of pests or nuisance insects. For example, when plants are attacked by leaf-eating insects, they will produce scented compounds that attract natural predators of the insects. Of course, it was done for a purpose, as these natural predators can help control pest populations and protect plants from further damage.

3. Communication Through Roots
Not only chemical communication through the air, plants also communicate through their roots. For example, when plants are under stressful conditions, they may release certain compounds through their roots. Interestingly, these compounds can stimulate the growth of other plants' roots in the vicinity, helping them access more water and nutrients.

4. Communication with Microbes
Plants can communicate with microbes too! Plants secrete certain compounds that attract beneficial microbes, such as bacteria or fungi, to gather around their roots. This symbiotic relationship between plants and microbes will support plants to get additional nutrients and protect them from harmful pathogens.

5. Communication to Other Living Things
Some studies have shown that plants can also communicate to share resources with other plants around them. For example, plants that have excess carbon dioxide can share this carbon dioxide with other plants that also need it.

In essence, the insight into talking plants shows how complex plants' interactions with their environment and other organisms in their neighbourhood can be. In this case, communicating is not necessarily having physical organs to communicate like humans or animals, but rather their ability to use chemical compounds and other signals and this is evidence of the natural intelligence that exists in the plant world. How ecosystems work is a space that we are more likely to open up and understand through further research.