
German Forest Ranger Finds That Trees Have Social Networks, Too - dnetesn
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/world/europe/german-forest-ranger-finds-that-trees-have-social-networks-too.html?_r=0
======
discardorama
FTA: "“You see how the thick branches point away from each other? That’s so
they don’t block their buddy’s light.”"

I noticed this in some tall trees in the Sequoyah National Park too. I
remember thinking to myself: how do they know about the presence of each
other?

While many scientists will grimace at the anthropomorphism in the narrative,
you have to ask: why _can 't_ we use similar terms as ours to describe the
trees' interactions? Who is to say that vocalizing some predetermined sounds
is the only way to "talk"?

~~~
logingone
_why can 't we use similar terms as ours to describe the trees' interactions?_

I haven't read the article yet, but presumably because doing so is inaccurate.
The inaccuracy isn't a problem for people sufficiently familiar with the topic
that they understand the anthropomorphism, but for people new to the topic
confusion ensues unbeknownst to them. Natural selection is a classic example
of anthropomorphism leading to people not having the slightest understanding
of what they're talking about.

~~~
tamana
The real question about nonhuman intellogence is not "do trees behave like
people", it is " do people behave essentially differently from trees"

~~~
silentsea90
That's so smart :)

------
pvaldes
Sometimes I think that the world is turning to animism again.

Green parts of the plants do not growth normally[1] towards the dark. When a
bud points in the bad direction do not survive for a long time, is killed
either by the shadow of its "buddy" or by substances that its 'friendly
neighbour tree' releases.

A tree is like a coral in many aspects. Each branch in a tree acts as the
member of a colonial superstructure. Some survive and other don't. This is
known in ecology since decades. And, like corals engaged in warfare, they
"auto-prune" itselves. To explain this case as "they are friends of this other
tree or this concrete wall" is just silly

This is just advertising trying to sell a book.

[1] There are some special cases of plants searching the darkest places, like
in peanuts or pennywort burying itselves for example. Roots aren't green and
are a different case of course.

------
exar0815
I live very close to Hümmel, and, although knowing about the burial ground
concept, "Friedwald", its the first time I hear about the Rest of this. Of
course, living in the Eifel brings a special relationship to the forest, after
everything that happened here. None of the forests here is older than 200
Years, and only monoculture. Read about Clemens de Lassaulx, who reforested
giant amounts of dead soil, which had been cut down for coal by the
authorities, before the rhineland became prussian.

------
ommunist
German ranger?

1973\. Ivan Marchenko "Biological field of forest ecosystems" Also see theory
of biogroups by Rogozin.

    
    
      634.9
      М 30
    
        Марченко, И. С. 
        Биополе лесных экосистем [Текст] : монография / И.С.     Марченко; Брян. гос. инж.-технол. акад., Ин-т экологии междунар. инж. акад. - Брянск : Придесенье, 1995. - 188 с. : ил. - 1000 экз.. - 20000 р.

------
gPphX
free link :

[http://www.tampabay.com/news/world/german-forest-ranger-
find...](http://www.tampabay.com/news/world/german-forest-ranger-finds-that-
trees-have-social-networks-too/2263449)

------
cjcenizal
Wonderful article. I've recently started growing some sunflowers in my yard.
When they're young sprouts and only have a leaf or two, they are very fragile
-- if they lose those leaves then their growth is stunted forever. They'll be
stubs after that. As some sunflowers outgrow others, the shadows they cast on
the smaller ones causes the little ones to twist and bend to escape the shadow
and drink in some light.

I think what I love about them is observing their lives play out so much more
slowly than ours. They react to their environment and strive for their own
goals of survival and reproduction. But so slowly, gently...

------
SixSigma
Amazon UK Link =
[http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1771642483/](http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1771642483/)

Due to be published 13 Sept. 2016

------
daveguy
Could it be that younger trees (and growth) are simply growing into where
light is more available? Where their "buddies" aren't? Wouldn't this explain
"shared" space and even thicker branches pointing away from where existing
trees block the sun.

~~~
has2k1
If isolated trees of these species do not have these space creating
directional tendencies, then in a group the trees are not just "growing into
available space".

I haven't read the book but I think you can investigate this to affirm or rule
out plain affinity for sunlight during growth.

