EigoPro 準2級プラス 読解 — The Secret Language of Trees

The Secret Language of Trees For most of human history, people have thought of a forest as a simple collection of trees, each one standing alone and competing with its neighbors for light and water. In recent years, however, scientists have begun to discover that the truth is far more surprising. A Hidden Network Beneath the forest floor lies a vast network of tiny threads, formed by fungi that grow around and between the roots of trees. Through this underground network, trees are able to share water, food, and even chemical messages. Some scientists have playfully named this system the "wood wide web," comparing it to the internet that connects human computers. Sharing and Warning What surprised researchers most was the discovery that trees use this network to help one another. A large, healthy tree may send sugar through the network to a young or sick tree that cannot make enough food on its own. When insects attack one tree, it can send a chemical warning to nearby trees, which then begin to produce substances that make their leaves harder to eat. Mother Trees Among the most important members of a forest are the oldest and largest trees, sometimes called "mother trees." These giants are connected to hundreds of younger trees around them. Studies suggest that when a mother tree is dying, it may send much of its remaining food and resources to the young trees nearby, almost as if passing on a final gift. Rethinking the Forest These discoveries are changing the way scientists think about forests. Rather than a battlefield of lonely competitors, a forest may be better understood as a community in which cooperation is just as important as competition. As one researcher said, "A tree is not really an individual. The forest itself is the living thing."

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