A recent study showed that Plants make distinctive sounds when under stresssuch as dehydration or physical damage. These signals, similar to pops or small explosions, occur in ultrasonic frequencies that cannot be detected by human hearing, but may be picked up by some animals.
The research, led by the evolutionary biologist Lilach Hadany of theTel Aviv Universityused advanced tools to record the sounds made by plants under different conditions. The results are surprising: plants subjected to stress can produce up to 40 sounds per hour, audible from over a meter away. The more the damage increases, the greater the frequency and intensity of these signals.
A natural communication mechanism?
According to scientists, these acoustic emissions could be a way for plants to alert their surroundings. Other plants, or even animals, could pick up these signals and react in a way that promotes the survival of the species. The same researchers compared the phenomenon to cavitationa process that occurs when air bubbles expand and collapse in the pots of dehydrated plants, generating crackling sounds.
This discovery could revolutionize agriculture: sound sensors could detect signs of plant stress, allowing timely interventions to avoid damage to crops. Furthermore, the interaction between animals and plants is a field of study that is still little explored, but full of potential. It is conceivable that some species, such as moths, use these sounds to assess the health of plants before laying their eggs.
Other studies confirm the sound communication of plants
It is not the first time that science has observed this phenomenon. A previous study found that plants emit ultrasound between 20 and 100 kilohertz when subjected to stress such as water shortage or stem cutting. These sounds, imperceptible to the human ear, can be picked up by other organisms up to several meters away.
Another research has highlighted that plants, under stress conditions, they emit up to 50 ultrasounds per hour. These sounds could serve to communicate their status to nearby plants or to attract animals that can help them survive.
In addition to sounds, plants manifest their state through visible phenomena like the guttation. This process occurs when humidity is high and the amount of water absorbed by the roots exceeds that transpired by the leaves, leading to the formation of tear-like drops on the leaf margins.
