As part of [a] study [of plant’s ability to hear]…scientists put caterpillars on…a small, cabbage-like plant, and then recorded the vibrations made by the caterpillar’s chewing. They recorded these tiny vibrations using a special microphone that beams a laser off a reflective surface to see how fast the surface is moving. They then played back these vibrations to a group of plants who weren’t being eaten by caterpillars. A third plant was kept in silence as a control. In the experiment, plants chewed on by caterpillars and those played the chomping sound released more mustard oil, a chemical that’s meant to fend off pests, than the plants that had been exposed to silence. Scientists already knew that plants could change their growth pattern in reaction to certain sounds, but this is the first time they saw a plant protecting itself from the sound of a predator’s chewing…The next step is to find out more about how different plant species are able to sense and respond to these chewing vibrations. The results could help farmers better protect crops from pests in the future, and help scientists understand more about how plants sense and respond to their environments.

~ Fiona MacDonald

Tree People of Central Park – photo by Devadana Sanctuary