Two years ago, a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University discovered that plants under stress emit sounds above the range of human hearing. They also speculated that other plants and animals might respond to those sounds. The same team has just published a paper in the journal eLife proving that insects hear and react to these sounds.
The researchers performed several experiments using female moths and tomato plants. In the first experiment, female moths were presented with two boxes: one containing a recording of a dehydrated tomato plant and the other with no sound. The moths showed a clear preference for laying their eggs in the box with the recording. When moths' hearing organs were "neutralized," they showed no preference.
In the second experiment, the moths were able to choose between two living plants, one dehydrated and emitting sounds of distress, and one healthy. The moths showed a clear preference for the silent plant. In the third experiment, the researchers played sounds of male moths, which are acoustically similar to those of distressed plants, in one box. The female moths showed no preference for the box with the sound of male moths or the box with no sound.
"In this study, we revealed the first evidence for acoustic interaction between a plant and an insect. We are convinced, however, that this is just the beginning. Acoustic interaction between plants and animals doubtlessly has many more forms and a wide range of roles. This is a vast, unexplored field — an entire world waiting to be discovered."
Previously:
• So satisfying: Plants growing timelapse compilation
• Why animals eat psychoactive plants
• I visited an amazing cactus nursery
