We have only recently discovered how complex plant communications are:
Trees rarely just fall over but we seldom stop to think about why they don’t. Manipulating the weight of downy birch trees, the team discovered that a tree can adjust its stem thickening in relation to its height, especially if the stem is free to move a bit. They were able to test this thesis by studying a mutant tree that sadly lacks that ability…
Update: Reader David Spoede writes to say: ” A forester once told and then showed me that a large tree growing at about a 20° angle had developed an oval trunk, rather than the standard round trunk, in order to cope with its unique stress. He said that the tree could very well still be there a hundred years from now despite its severe angle.”
Many discoveries have been made in recent years about the complexity of plant communications:
Can plants be as smart as animals? Seeking to thrive and grow, plants communicate extensively, without a mind or a brainSeeking to thrive and grow, plants communicate extensively, without a mind or a brain
Is salad murder? If we think plants are “equal organisms” with respect to humans, it’s not clear whether salad is or isn’t murder. Or whether murder is even a serious ethical problem.
and
Researchers: Yes, plants have nervous systems too. Not only that but, like mammals, they use glutamate to speed transmission