plants communicate through acoustic signals

... Roots generate structured acoustic emissions in the form of loud (ca. 2 cm/s) and frequent clicks...

...Whilst receptor mechanisms in plants are still to be identified, there is early, yet tantalising, evidence about plants’ ability of detecting vibrations and exhibiting a frequency-selective sensitivity that generate behavioural modifications (Figure 1b and c)...


...Enticingly, further research drawing from acoustical ecology, auditory mechanics and plant physiology is expected to transform our understanding of these organisms and galvanise the emergence of novel concepts and perspectives on plant communication. Such investigations may also, more generally, offer the unique opportunity to identify generic mechanisms subtending information processing in plants. Phylogenetically ancient, mechanoreception is deemed to a ubiquitous sensory modality. As such, mechanoreception underpins the behavioural organisation of all living organisms and their relationship with their environment; we propose here that it is very likely that some form of sensitivity to sound and vibrations also plays an important role in the life of plants.