Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel have uncovered a fascinating discovery that plants produce sounds in ultrasonic frequencies beyond the range of human hearing. These sounds, similar to a polling or clicking noise, can be compared to plants “screaming” when they are harvested. When plants become stressed, the intensity of these sounds increases, leading researchers to believe that this could be a way for plants to communicate their distress to the world around them.
Evolutionary biologist Lilach Hadany from the university explained that even in quiet fields, there are sounds that carry information which we are unable to hear. In a study published in Cell, her team recorded tomato and tobacco plants in both stressed and unstressed conditions to analyze the sounds produced.
The team discovered that stressed plants emitted high-pitched sounds detectable within a radius of over a meter but beyond human hearing range. They used a machine learning algorithm to differentiate between the sounds made by unstressed plants and those in distress, such as those with cut stems or dehydrated.
While it remains unclear how plants produce these noises, researchers believe it could be one of the ways they interact with their environment. Unstressed plants do not emit much noise, suggesting they remain quiet and unaffected by external factors.
This study raises new questions about how plants communicate and respond to their environment while also highlighting the complexity and diversity of plant life. It showcases their ability to sense and react to stress in unique ways.
