Do trees think?

[mikecotterill]

Right here goes the numpty question of the year. Not sure if its been covered before or not, but I was thinking the other day, how does a tree know its got a wound and how does it know to grow over it. There's probably something really obvious here that I've missed

[Gary Prentice]

the electron loss from damaged cells causes the compartmentalization process to begin. i was studying this today but got sidetracked.

[mikecotterill]

I'm gonna have to read up on this.

[armybloke]

Many moons ago Horizon on BBC2 in the 1970's wired up an old oak with electrodes, and what was then advanced technology in terms of sensors for light reaction, water starvation, intentional harm to the oak and to its neighbours. I have tried to surf the archives for it as I felt it was immensely interesting even at the tender age of 11 or 12 years old. Unfortunately I can not remember what the programme was called to seeking it is difficult. To summarise trees were living organisms with feelings and they reacted to certain stimulii. How they know about wounding is a chemical reaction to an imbalance in 'something' which evades me right now and so the tree knows how and where to respond.

 

Similarly trees communicate through expelled hormones in to the atmosphere to warn of danger. Look at the symbiotic relationship between acacia and ants in Africa and how they respond when under attack from browsing animals like giraffe. Our oaks do similar things by promoting extra tannins in their leaves to repel browsing insects. All super interesting stuff.......

[teepeeat]

know nothing technical about trees, but would it not be the same as human bodies where for instance blood cells start clotting automatically when expose to air. ie pre-programed automatic responses that require no thought processes?

 

I'll step aside and let the experts tell us .....

[Dean Lofthouse]

Trees react

[David Humphries]

Are trees sentient?

Do robots dream of electric sheep?

 

 

Check out the copper beech @ 13:40

 

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry, it will heal, it will heal, I promise !"

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNrBel3358c&sns=em[/ame]

 

.

[Mark Bolam]

I hope not.

 

Otherwise they would be thinking, oh no, here come a load of geared-up 'experts' who think that inflicting multiple wounds all over me and removing half my ability to photosynthesise is actually helping me....

[mikecotterill]

I should add that I wasn't actually asking if trees did think

[Mark Bolam]

They can.

 

They hate us.