New studies from researchers at the University of British Columbia show that trees can communicate by sharing carbon and nitrogen. Fungi connects the underground root systems to create a symbiotic relationship that works as a survival mechanism for the trees. Larger and older “Mother Trees” have mycelium that grows below their roots linking them to nearby trees in a complex neuro-network of roots, soil, fungi and micro-organisms. The intertwined root system forms a structure that functions similar to axons and neurons in the brain. Essentially, trees can move their energy, leaving a legacy that transfers from one generation to the next. This study shows the importance of a complex forest ecosystem that contains both old and young trees together sharing ancient resources in opposition to a clearcut model, which would decimate ancestral knowledge and resources.
