Plants can “Speak” to Each Other
To react to their environment, a single plant must communicate among its roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Plants is use plumbing to transfer their signals. Electrical signals travel through the movement of chemicals in those tubes, For example, roots can detect drought and tell leaves to limit transpiration and conserve water.
Communication through volatile organic compounds
Plants don’t use vibrations to communicate as insects and other organisms do. Instead, they release volatile organic compounds (VOCs, a type of scent) from their flowers, leaves and roots. Each compound is different, but they provide signals to nearby plants and other organisms to provide specific information or to warn them of a possible attack. If an insect is feeding on a plant’s leaves, that plant will release specific VOCs to warn other plants nearby. If a human decides to callously snap a piece of a plant off, then again, the plant releases its warning to all nearby plants of the potential danger. Obviously a plant cannot get up and run away, so the emphasis is all on defence. Defence can take the form of a physical reaction, such as the strengthening of the cell walls to provide a stronger, more robust barrier, or a chemical reaction that produces toxic compounds to deter herbivores and pathogens.
Communication using roots
In fact, plants even communicate with non-plant species as well, such as the microorganisms around them. Plants intentionally send signals from their roots into the soil to attract certain microorganisms that are beneficial for their growth and development – essentially, an invitation to ‘good’ microbiota to move into the plant as a human would move into a new apartment. The plant benefits in numerous ways when the right tenants move in. They contribute to plant protection, can help regulate the production of cells and hormones, and can facilitate the growth of roots, so that the plant can explore a wider area of soil.
Extracted from:
https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/436468-can-plants-communicate-with-one-another
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/plants-can-talk-yes-really-heres-how
