Plants Communicate Using Fungi

Shipud writes "In response to aphid attacks, some plants produce chemicals that repel the aphids and attract wasps, the aphids' natural enemies. Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have shown that plants attacked by aphids can communicate that information to neighboring plants via existing networks of fungi in the soil. Thus fungal symbiosis with plants is shown to be taken one step further: not only do they provide nutrients to plants, they also function as communication hardware."

Comments

Re:Fungi = planet brain?

[Ellis D. Tripp]

Mushrooms aren't "brain pods", they are the reproductive organs, releasing spores into the soil and air.

Not that fungal genitalia popping up everywhere is any less freaky if you think about it...

Documentary Video On This Topic

[Freshly Exhumed]

Watch Dr. David Suzuki's "The Nature Of Things" episode called "Smarty Plants: Uncovering the Secret World of Plant Behaviour":

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/smarty-plants-uncovering-the-secret-world-of-plant-behaviour.html