Underground Networks of Plants and Fungi

Hey dear community, first of all I hope that you are all doing well and that you had a day full of positive experiences! In my new article, I would like to discuss nature and hope you are interested in it and can learn new things.

The world of plants is very mysterious and a huge aspect here is the communication and without noticing it, plants exchange signals with each other in different ways and although plants do not have a nervous system or sensory organs, they are able to feel, see, smell or perceive the environment very well. Particularly interesting is communication in the underground as in forests where a large network of roots often arises with which trees, plants or fungi are connected and support each other and are also often dependent on each other and go into symbiosis and exchange nutrients, even in research this topic is particularly interesting and amazes many scientists. In forests, roots and mycelia often meet and some nutrients can not be produced by the plant itself and here the fungi come into play which they then send to the plants or flower via the underground network and in return receive nutrients which are essential for their own growth. Even in addition to forests, plants in other areas are often connected in the underground and when the fine hairs of the roots meet other plants, there is an exchange of chemical signals and even notice when a young plant needs help and support it by, for example, leaving more space so that they can grow better. Through this interaction, these natural beings can adapt or coordinate more easily and even if danger threatens, signals are sent via the roots to warn plants in the immediate vicinity of predators or other attackers so that they can react in time and produce their own substances that attackers can fend off. It is a fascinating topic how plants are connected over underground networks and communicate and even if people recognise the part above, a large part of life takes place underground and such a network can often be several hundred metres and the world's largest creature in the world is a Honey fungus which extends over its mycelium network over almost ten square kilometres!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about nature! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens.