Hug a tree! Especially if you are one!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Meet Martin Bader and Sebastian Leuzinger from Auckland University of Technology. Hiking in New Zealand, they came across a kauri tree stump. Despite not having any green foliage, the stump was still alive!
Why? Water flow measurements showed an intimate coupling between the stump and its neighboring greenery. During sunny days, living trees used water to feed their foliage. But at night, they shared water with the stump. What the—?
Researchers believe trees share water and nutrients by grafting their roots together. This suggests trees may be connected as a superorganism in forests.
More evidence is needed for further understanding. The researchers will just have to DIG deeper.
Until then, we’re stumped! In solidarity.
Reference: Bader, M. K., & Leuzinger, S. (2019). Hydraulic Coupling of a Leafless Kauri Tree Remnant to Conspecific Hosts. iScience, 19, 1238–1247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2019.05.009