Don: Yaël, did you know that some plants actually might "talk" with each other?

Yaël: Talk??

D: Well, not exactly, but it seems that some plants can communicate to neighbors      through a network of runners, or stems that grow across the ground. Certain plants,      like strawberries, can reproduce by sending out runners, which send roots into the      soil and bud off to become new plants

     But even after the new plants are independent from the parent plant, some runners      might remain intact, creating network-like connections between plants. Scientists      noticed that plants in these networks seemed to be sharing information. If a      caterpillar started eating one plant, that plant produced defensive chemicals that      made their leaves less tasty, or harder to bite. But to the surprise of the scientists, if      one plant was being eaten, the other plants in the network started producing      defensive chemicals too.

Y: Even if they weren't being eaten yet?

D: Right! This suggests that the plants can send information that warns their neighbors of      impending danger. Damage from the caterpillars was much higher in plant that did not      receive a warning signal, than in plants that received a warning from another plant in      the network. But there are drawbacks too. Just like computer networks, the      interconnected plants are more vulnerable to viruses or other diseases that can      quickly spread through the network.

Y: Wow, and I thought plants were just passive, boring organisms!  

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